ELECTORAL COMMISSION COMMITTEE

Encouragement to Vote

Nigel Evans: To ask the hon. Member for Gosport, representing the Speaker's Committee on the Electoral Commission how much money the Electoral Commission is spending on encouraging (a) young people and (b) people who are living abroad to vote.

Peter Viggers: The Electoral Commission has a duty to promote public awareness of current electoral systems in the United Kingdom. The chairman has informed me that, in pursuance of this, the commission has an ongoing programme of awareness raising activity. Within this, it has allocated about £705,000 in the current financial year specifically to measures aimed at raising levels of awareness among young people, principally through its Outreach programme. The commission's activity in relation to overseas voters this year focuses on measures aimed at reminding them of their electoral rights. The commission expects to spend about £9,000 on this work in the current financial year. All figures include estimated staff costs.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Board of Management

Angela Eagle: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what plans there are for the representation of hon. Members on the Board of Management of the House.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has no plans to appoint hon. Members to the Board of Management. The board, which is composed of the most senior management of the House of Commons Service, operates on the basis of an Instrument of Delegation from the Commission, which retains responsibility for setting strategy and taking major decisions. The board's primary function is to co-ordinate and oversee the provision of services to the House of Commons and to advise the Commission and the Finance and Services Committee on these matters. In addition, the Administration Estimate Audit Committee, comprised of two members of the Commission and two external members, has among its functions the encouragement of best financial practice, use of resources and governance in the House administration.

Department of Finance and Administration

Rob Marris: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how much office accommodation would be vacated if staff of the Department of Finance and Administration were to be relocated outside London.

Archy Kirkwood: The Department of Finance and Administration occupies 1,800 square metres of office space, predominantly open plan, in 7 Millbank.

Department of Finance and Administration

Angela Eagle: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether there are plans for an organisation and methods study of the Finance and Administration Department.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has no plans for an organisation and methods study of the Department of Finance and Administration. The Department of Finance and Administration underwent a review in 2002 which made a series of recommendations to improve its performance. These were implemented later in 2002 and 2003, with some work continuing through other projects. Work to review and improve processes is being carried out as part of the programme to extend use of the House Administrative Information System (HAIS) covering finance and human resource management.

Department of Finance and Administration

Andrew Robathan: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether an assessment has been made of the potential for hot desking in the Finance and Administration Department.

Archy Kirkwood: There has been no formal assessment of the potential for hot desking in the Department of Finance and Administration. Some short-term staff and contractors do use available staff desks.

Department of the Clerk of the House

Angela Eagle: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether there are plans for an organisation and methods study of the Department of the Clerk of the House.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has no plans for an organisation and methods study of the Department of the Clerk of the House. Select Committee staff amount to more than half of the strength of the Clerk's Department. Following a report from the Modernisation Committee, and the agreement of the House and the House of Commons Commission, a Review of Select Committee resources was carried out in 2002–03 by a team consisting of staff from the National Audit Office and the House's Internal Review Service. A further review of Select Committee resources is envisaged in 2007–08.

Department of the Clerk of the House

Rob Marris: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what cost benefit analysis has been carried out on the use of computer workstations by staff in the Department of the Clerk of the House.

Archy Kirkwood: The effective delivery of services to the House and hon. Members involves the extensive use of new technology and could not be achieved without the use of workstations by members of the Clerk's Department. The Department's investment in the development and use of IS/IT systems is subject to formal appraisal.
	A recent study of computer desktops in all House of Commons departments recommended that their life could be extended from three years to four years and the Board of Management has accepted this recommendation. Future spending on IT desktop equipment will reflect this decision.

Department of the Serjeant at Arms

Rob Marris: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Commission has plans to (a) carry out and (b) commission an organisation and methods study of the Serjeant at Arms' Department.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has no plans to carry out or commission an organisation and methods study of the Serjeant at Arms Department. A comprehensive study of the organisation and methods of the department was carried out by Michael Braithwaite in 2000–01 following his review of the House of Commons service, resulting in substantial reorganisation.

Department of the Serjeant at Arms

Andrew Robathan: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff were employed in the Serjeant at Arms Department (a) in 1974, (b) in 2000 and (c) at the latest date for which figures are available.

Archy Kirkwood: Numbers of staff employed in the Serjeant at Arms Department have been as follows:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1979(1) (2)181 
			 2000 (2)307.5 
			 2004 (3)407 
		
	
	(1) No published data is available before this date. The figure is taken from the first Annual Report of the Commission.
	(2) Complement.
	(3) Average full-time equivalent.

Department of the Serjeant at Arms

Edward Garnier: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether a cost benefit analysis has been carried out on the use of computer workstations by staff in the Serjeant at Arms Department.

Archy Kirkwood: Computers are an essential piece of equipment for many of the staff in the Serjeant at Arms Department. They are only issued to those staff who require them to perform their work. Where possible, they are shared.
	A recent study of computer desktops in all House of Commons Departments recommended that their life should be extended from three years to four years and the Board of Management has accepted this recommendation. Future spending on IT desktop equipment will reflect this decision.
	The House's procurement arrangements are developed to ensure that competitive prices are achieved.

Department of the Serjeant at Arms

Edward Garnier: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what assessment he has made of the potential for hot desking in the Serjeant at Arms Department.

Archy Kirkwood: There has been no formal assessment of the potential for hot desking in the Serjeant at Arms Department. Some short-term staff and contractors use staff desks as available.

Department of the Serjeant at Arms

Edward Garnier: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission what the cost was of purchasing computer workstations for staff in the Serjeant at Arms Department in the last year for which figures are available.

Archy Kirkwood: The Parliamentary Communications Directorate (PCD) within the Serjeant at Arms Department provides IT services to both Houses as well as to the Serjeant at Arms Department itself. A wide range of equipment is purchased each year in support of this function. Financial records do not show separately the cost of computer workstations procured for the Department.

House of Commons Library

David Atkinson: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission whether the Commission plans to conduct an organisation and methods study of the Library.

Archy Kirkwood: The Commission has no plans to carry out or commission an organisation and methods study of the Library. The Library's current Change Project is designed to ensure that the department takes full advantage of the facilities of the Parliamentary Information Management Services project which is due to be implemented in April 2005. The Change Project has already involved a thorough review of the department's services and working methods.

Staff Numbers

Eric Forth: To ask the hon. Member for Roxburgh and Berwickshire, representing the House of Commons Commission how many staff were employed on the latest date for which figures are available in (a) the Department of the Clerk of the House, (b) the Department of the Serjeant at Arms, (c) the Department of the Library, (d) the Department of Finance and Administration, (e) the Department of the Official Report, (f) the Refreshment Department, (g) Office of the Speaker and (h) other offices.

Archy Kirkwood: The number of staff employed by departments of the House of Commons is as follows:
	
		
			 Department Number 
		
		
			 Department of the Clerk of the House 311 
			 Department of the Serjeant at Arms 407 
			 Department of the Library 219 
			 Department of Finance and Administration 147 
			 Department of Official Report 105 
			 Refreshment Department 305 
			 Office of the Speaker 6 
			 Other offices 16 
		
	
	These figures are based on average full-time equivalent staff numbers

CABINET OFFICE

Emergencies

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  when she expects to complete the issue to all households of the booklet "Preparing for Emergencies";
	(2)  what the cost was of (a) producing and (b) delivering the booklet "Preparing for Emergencies";
	(3)  to how many households the booklet "Preparing for Emergencies" (a) has been delivered and (b) has yet to be delivered.

Ruth Kelly: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Eastbourne (Mr. Waterson) on the 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 59–60W. The Royal Mail delivered the booklet to the whole of the UK in August.
	The overall budget for the "Preparing for Emergencies" booklet campaign was £8.3 million.

CONSTITUTIONAL AFFAIRS

Asylum Seekers (Legal Aid)

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to reduce the overspend on legal aid for asylum seekers.

David Lammy: The Government introduced a package of measures in April 2004 to control costs and quality in asylum legal aid. These measures are bringing asylum legal aid under effective control and cutting out unnecessary expenditure. Costs are being limited, and targeted at the most deserving cases. Quality representation is being recognised and rewarded by the new accreditation scheme, and wasteful duplication of cases is being tackled.
	As a result of these measures, and the fall in asylum numbers, we expect that our spending this year will be well within the budget of £149 million (resource).

Civil Legal Office

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans the Department has to undertake research into the viability of a salaried civil legal office comparable to the Public Defender Scheme.

David Lammy: The Public Defender Service was created in 2001 to deliver criminal defence services direct to the public. It is part of the Criminal Defence Service administered by the Legal Services Commission and was set up as a four-year pilot project with an on-going independent research programme to evaluate its progress. We are waiting for the final results of this research before we are able to assess fully the viability of the scheme.
	The Legal Services Commission has announced a new public immigration and asylum service to be based in Birmingham and which is expected to open early in 2005. This new service will provide the commission with a direct and improved understanding of the cost and quality drivers in immigration and asylum legal aid. Findings from the service will be used to shape publicly funded immigration and asylum policy.
	My Department has no specific plans to undertake research into the viability of salaried services in other civil categories.

Community Legal Service

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs if he will list the 10 barristers who have received the highest fees for civil work from the Community Legal Service, stating in each case (a) the amount received, (b) the number of cases taken and (c) whether the barrister concerned was Queen's counsel or junior counsel; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: Fees in civil matters are paid by the Community Legal Service (CLS). Using information for 2002–03, the latest year for which figures are readily available, the names of the 10 barristers receiving the highest aggregate fees from the CLS, together with the number of cases the payments represent are as follows:
	
		
			 Barrister Amounts paid (£) No of cases 
		
		
			 Lord Brennan QC 606,000 13 
			 Elizabeth Gumbel QC 470,000 27 
			 Paul Storey QC 449,000 52 
			 John Rowley 329,000 19 
			 Sally Bradley QC 328,000 33 
			 Stephen Irwin QC 314,000 11 
			 Joanna Dodson QC 284,000 8 
			 Alison Ball QC 279,000 2 
			 Robin Oppenheim 277,000 14 
			 Eleanor Hamilton QC 277,000 18 
		
	
	Notes:
	These figures must be interpreted carefully and do not represent personal earnings in one year. There are a number of reasons for this.
	1. Payments received in one year simply represent turnover in that year. Cases may well have lasted more than one year and overall earnings may be increased by one exceptional case lasting a number of years for which payment was received in that year.
	2. In most cases the figures are inclusive of VAT (17.5 per cent.) and disbursements incurred ( e.g. travelling).
	3. Barristers will typically pay 25–30 per cent. of fees in professional expenses. Additionally, barristers face the same expenses as any other self employed person, including the cost of pension provisions, medical and life insurance etc.
	A number of other qualifications need to be added to these figures.
	1. While these figures represent gross payments actually made to the barristers during the year, some of those monies have been (or may in the future be) repaid to the Community Legal Service Fund by other parties. This will happen in cases where the legally aided party wins the case and recovers costs from the opponent. Once those costs are recovered the legally aided party's solicitor refunds some or all of the money to the CLS Fund. As a consequence the figures may not reflect the net cost of the barristers' fees to the Fund. In some cases where costs are recovered from the losing party the actual cost to the CLS Fund may be very little or even nothing.
	2. Not all payments could be verified with all the individuals concerned. Cases in dispute, where amounts listed as being paid to individual barristers were identified from records held by the Department and the Legal Services Commission and the practitioner has no such record, have been included. Where possible, amounts have been verified by practitioners and adjusted where necessary.

Community Legal Service

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs pursuant to the conclusions of the Constitutional Affairs Committee's report of Session 2003–04 on civil legal aid, what action the Department is taking to combat advice deserts within the Community Legal Services.

David Lammy: I refer the hon. Member to the joint response paper to the Constitutional Affairs Committee inquiry on legal aid provision, by my Department and the Legal Service Commission, entitled 'The Government's Response to the Constitutional Affairs Select Committee's report on Civil Legal Aid—adequacy of provision' (Cm 6367) which was published on 12 November 2004.

Conditional Fee Consultation

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when the consultation period ends for the Department's consultation paper from June entitled Making Simple Conditional Fee Arrangements a Reality; and when his Department expects to provide a report on the conclusions of the consultation.

David Lammy: The consultation period was extended to end on 30 September. We are considering carefully the responses made and are talking to a number of respondents about their comments. We plan to come forward with a report of the conclusions of the consultation before Easter recess 2005.

Electoral Systems

Anne Campbell: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he expects to announce the review of electoral systems.

Christopher Leslie: The Government remain committed to their manifesto in respect of the reviews of electoral systems and will make any announcement on the time of a review at an appropriate moment.

Freedom of Information Act

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what support he plans to provide to local authorities to help them in responding to inquiries under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

David Lammy: The Government is fully committed to the implementation of Freedom of Information (FOI) across the whole of the public sector and has been engaged in a range of activities with local authorities to raise awareness of FOI and to provide advice on how to handle inquiries once the Act comes into force. For example, a series of roadshows on FOI have been held across the country over the past two years. A comprehensive Model Action Plan and a Training Plan, offering suggestions on good preparation for implementation and suggestions for effective training on FOI, were issued across the public sector. More recently, my Department has delivered FOI presentations to local authority discussion groups. These presentations have been an opportunity to encourage local authorities to cascade information and key messages about FOI and have stressed the importance of support from senior management in handling requests. Local authorities also have access to a comprehensive FOI website. This includes a portfolio of guidance on how to apply the Act and it will be revised and maintained in line with legal and policy developments.
	In providing assistance to local authorities once the Act is in force, the Government and the Information Commissioner's Office have agreed that my Department has a specific role for leading and co-ordinating the work of central Government Departments. Local authorities will be able to seek general advice from the Information Commissioner Office (ICO) on how to respond to inquiries under the Act. In cases of complex requests local authorities can seek their own legal advice.

Freedom of Information Act

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs for what reasons local authorities are not permitted to levy a charge for the time incurred in answering questions from residents under the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The Government has always maintained that the majority of the costs resulting from Freedom of Information (FOI) requests would be met by the public purse. The public should not be deterred from asking for information because of the cost—freedom of information should mean free information for most requests. At the same time, we recognise that an open-ended commitment to answer all requests without charge would seriously impact on public authorities' ability to conduct their business. Ministers have therefore announced that authorities cannot charge for the work involved with answering requests where the cost is less than the appropriate limit—for local authorities, this will be £450. However, local authorities will be able to charge for requests costing more than £450 to answer.

Freedom of Information Act

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what plans he has to reimburse local government for additional costs incurred as a result of responding to requests under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

David Lammy: My Department is committed to the new burdens principles where its new policies would impact on local government. We have worked closely with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Local Government Association to assess the likely costs that local authorities will incur as a result of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. We will transfer funding to the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister to cover these costs, which will be distributed in the normal way through the Revenue Support Grant. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister will announce further details about the Revenue Support Grant shortly.

Freedom of Information Act

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs when he will lay fees regulations before the House to guide local authorities on their response to enquiries from the public under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

David Lammy: The Government will bring forward regulations covering the fees that can be charged under the Freedom of Information Act 2000 very shortly. Guidance on the fees policy will also be available at the same time.

Freedom of Information Act

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: The projected cost of the Department's Freedom of Information (FOI) compliance team for the period 1 January 2005 to 31 March 2005 is estimated to be £38,000. To date, the compliance team has undertaken awareness raising for staff, developed procedures and guidance for dealing with information requests, conducted internal training and tested our processes in readiness for the implementation of the Freedom of Information Act.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Parliamentary Secretary, Department for Constitutional Affairs whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

David Lammy: With the exception of Conquest house (Law Commission) and Dover house (Scotland Office) I am not aware of any other DCA building or courts in Greater London where appropriate measures have not been taken or where a managed solution is not in place to afford full accessibility to disabled people.
	Conquest house will be fully accessible by the end of March 2005 and works to Dover house, a Grade II listed building, are awaiting approval by English Heritage. Access audits of the Greater London Estate have been undertaken to identify where reasonable adjustments can be made to the DCA's buildings, to allow full accessibility to disabled people. A programme of works has been developed from these audits, which has ensured that the DCA complies with Part 3 of the Disability Discrimination Act 1995.
	The Privy Council is also compliant with the DDA.

SOLICITOR-GENERAL

Charging Initiative

Graham Allen: To ask the Solicitor-General what preliminary conclusions she has reached on the impact of the charging initiative of basing Crown Prosecution Service prosecutors in police stations; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: Evaluation of the shadow charging initiative has demonstrated clear benefits in terms of cases moving more effectively and effectively through the criminal justice system, and ensuring that, more offences are brought to justice.
	Early consultation between police officers and crown prosecutors, including those based in police stations means it is more likely that:
	Charges are right first time
	Inappropriate cases are weeded out early
	Delays for victims and witnesses are reduced
	Discontinuances are reduced
	Guilty pleas increase
	Conviction rates increase, bringing more offenders to justice
	The CPS, the police and the courts gain capacity and the CIS gains efficiency

Consultants

Julian Lewis: To ask the Solicitor-General how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Law Officers' Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Harriet Harman: Since June 2001, the Treasury Solicitor's Office, including the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers, has retained the services of 41 consultancy companies, firms or individual consultants at a cost of £2,915,469. Their services have covered the upgrading and development of IT for finance and accounting systems, development of Practice and Case Management System, document management, Legal Information on Line, database development and IT infrastructure and network development, security, firewall development and remote access; time recording and billing, electronic records management, IS and IT training; accommodation relocation advice; Human Resources development on pay and grading assessment, staff surveys, IiP and training; business processes review and continuity planning preparation for LEXCEL accreditation.
	Since June 2001, HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate has retained the services of five consultants, at a cost of £46,040. Their services have covered the development of staff recording and analysis, business planning, analysis and advice on new casework management software, the development of service level agreement for support services and IiP assessment.
	Since June 2001, the Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers has retained the services of one consultant at a cost of £7,200 for analysis of financial management.
	Since June 2001, the Serious Fraud Office has retained the services of 15 consultants at a cost of £1,865,000. Their services have covered development of electronic presentation of evidence, financial systems, strategic effectiveness, Human Resources, IT infrastructure and BS 7799 and GSI accreditation.
	The Crown Prosecution Service employs the services of consultants but does not hold central records of the individual number and cost of their retention. Details could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. However, five consultants have been used on a regular or continuous basis since June 2001 at a cost of £4,896,000. Their services have covered project management support for the Charging programme, Direct Communications with Victims project and No Witness, No Justice project; advice on provision of telephony services; advice on contracting, and project management support for the Compass IT system and on the diversity monitoring project.

Crown Prosecution Service (Pre-charging)

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the Crown Prosecution Service's role in (a) collecting, (b) reviewing and (c) analysing data on which they bring prosecutions; and what measures are in place to ensure that the Crown Prosecution Service fulfils this role.

Harriet Harman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Crown Prosecution Service (Pre-charging)

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Solicitor-General 
	(1)  what assessment she has made of the impact that the involvement of the Crown Prosecution Service in the decision on whether or not to charge a person with an offence has had on the number of charges brought; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the impact on the number of cases listed at magistrates' courts for a first hearing resulting from Crown Prosecution Service involvement in the pre-charging process at police stations.

Harriet Harman: Crown Prosecution Service records indicate a gradual increase in the number and the proportion of decisions to charge a defendant over recent months. In April 2004, the CPS charged 1,436 defendants; 20.9 per cent. of all charging decisions made during the month. By October 2004, this had risen to 20,083 defendants or 54.7 per cent. of all charging decisions. Over the same period, the number of convictions in cases subject to a pre-charge decision has risen from 2,152 in April 2004 to 7,939 in October 2004.
	The efficiencies gained through CPS involvement in the decision to charge frees up the police to re-direct their efforts to the investigation and detection of more crime. Furthermore, cases in which the pre-charge decision is to take no further action are gradually replaced by cases that proceed to charge.
	CPS records include no indication of the number of cases listed at the magistrates' courts. However, they do show a rise in the number of guilty pleas entered at a first hearing in cases subject to a pre-charge decision, from 850 in April 2004 to 2,680 in October 2004.
	The charging initiative aims to increase the number of charged cases which proceed to a conviction by improving the quality of those cases, and increasing capacity by removing the number of cases which have no realistic prospect of conviction.

Departmental Estate

Andrew Turner: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list the properties occupied by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004, showing (A) for each and (B) in aggregate the area; and what in aggregate the annual rental value was.

Harriet Harman: The properties occupied by the Law Officers' Departments and the information requested in relation to area are shown in the tables and annexes, which have been placed in the Library.
	The Departments do not hold details of rental values and to identify these for each of the many properties would incur disproportionate cost.

Departmental Staff

David Wilshire: To ask the Solicitor-General how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Law Officers' Departments in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data is kept centrally.

Harriet Harman: The number of agency temporary staff working for the Treasury Solicitor's Department and Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers on a financial year basis is:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1999–2000 82.9 
			 2000–01 101.0 
			 2001–02 138.7 
			 2002–03 139.9 
			 2003–04 130.3 
		
	
	Their policy is to employ agency staff for short periods for work on a specific task, to cover a vacant position pending substantive recruitment or where there is a need for specialist skills.
	The number of agency temporary staff working for the Serious Fraud Office, on a calendar year basis from 2000 is shown in the following table. Central records were not maintained in 1999.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 2000 80 
			 2001 114 
			 2002 82 
			 2003 108 
		
	
	Their policy is to employ agency staff for short-term employee absence, temporary periods of high workload, to provide regional case support and to obtain specialist skills.
	The Crown Prosecution Service does not maintain central records on the engagement of agency temporary staff over the last five years and to investigate further would incur disproportionate cost. Their policy is to allow agency temporary administrative staff to be employed to cover shortages due to short-term absence of substantive staff or as a result of a temporary increase in workload.
	HM Crown Prosecution Service also does not maintain records of individual, engagement of agency staff and to investigate further would incur disproportionate cost. Such staff are mostly engaged on an ad hoc basis to cover specific short-term needs.

Freedom of Information Act

John Randall: To ask the Solicitor-General what assessment she has made of the likely costs to the Law Officers' Departments in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Harriet Harman: In preparing for implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000, the Law Officers' Departments (LODs) have considered their experience of dealing with requests under the Code of Practice on Access to Government and the Data Protection Act.
	Staff are being provided with training. The LODs have put in place processes for dealing promptly with requests. The costs and resource implications will be kept under review following implementation.
	LODs' websites, are being developed to meet the requests for information by these means.

Parliament Act

Tony Wright: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will make a statement on the Parliament Act 1949.

Harriet Harman: The Parliament Act 1949 amended the Parliament Act 1911. The 1911 Act restricted the powers of the House of Lords both in relation to money Bills, and Bills other than money Bills. Under the provisions of the 1911 Act, the Lords lost the power to delay certified money Bills for more than one month and to exercise an absolute veto over other public Bills. If a public Bill, other than, a money Bill, or a Bill extending the maximum duration of a Parliament, was passed by the Commons in three successive sessions, with at least two years between the first Commons Second Reading and the Commons Third Reading in the third session, it could be presented for Royal Assent by the Commons.
	The Parliament Act 1949 amended the 1911 Act reducing the time periods specified in the execution of the procedure. It replaced references to "three sessions" with "two sessions", and "two years" with "one year.

Press Officers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Solicitor-General how many press officers her Department has employed in each of the past five years.

Harriet Harman: The Law Officers' Departments have employed the following press officers in the last five years. The Treasury Solicitor's Department and HM Crown Prosecution Service Inspectorate have not employed press officers.
	
		
			 Department 1999–2000 2000–01 2001–02 2002–03 2003–04 
		
		
			 Legal Secretariat to the Law Officers 1 1 1 1 2 
			 Crown Prosecution Service 4 4 7 7 7 
			 Serious Fraud Office 2 3 3 2 2

Prosecutions

Harry Barnes: To ask the Solicitor-General if she will list bodies other than the police, but including Government Departments and agencies, which have authority to prosecute criminal offences; and which (a) are required to interact with the Crown Prosecution Service and (b) are subject to the operation of the Victims Charter.

Harriet Harman: In 1986 responsibility for prosecuting the majority of criminal cases passed to the Crown Prosecution Service. In addition, there remain a number of other Government Departments and agencies that have a responsibility for prosecuting criminal cases in England and Wales. These include:
	Serious Fraud Office
	Customs and Excise Prosecutions Office
	Department of Trade and Industry
	Health and Safety Executive
	Department for Work and Pensions
	Inland Revenue
	Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
	Intervention Board
	Bank of England
	Army Prosecuting Authority
	Royal Air Force Prosecuting Authority
	Royal Navy Prosecuting Authority
	Maritime and Coastguard Agency
	Occupational Pensions Regulatory Authority
	Civil Aviation Authority
	Individual local authorities have responsibility for the prosecution of some criminal offences.
	In Scotland, the Procurator Fiscal's Office undertakes prosecutions, and in Northern Ireland the principal prosecuting authority is the Director of Public Prosecutions for Northern Ireland.
	All of these Departments and agencies may, at different times and in different circumstances, be required to interact with the Crown Prosecution Service, both in relation to specific cases or types of cases and also prosecution policy.
	The right of private individuals to prosecute criminal offences in England and Wales remains. Private prosecutors may also be required to interact with the Crown Prosecution Service, depending on the circumstances of individual cases.
	The Crown Prosecution Service is the only prosecuting authority listed in the Victim's Charter, as being subject to the operation of the Charter.

PRIME MINISTER

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Prime Minister whether the offices for which he is responsible are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Tony Blair: No. 10 Downing street is a Grade I listed building which has many disabled visitors. Modifications have been made to the building in line with the Disability Discrimination Act.

Ministerial Meetings

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Prime Minister on how many occasions he has met the First Minister of the National Assembly for Wales in an official capacity since November 2000.

Tony Blair: I have meetings with the First Minister on a regular basis, both bilaterally and through the Joint Ministerial Committee, to discuss matters of mutual interest.

Ministerial Meetings

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  on how many occasions he has met the President of the United States since November 2000;
	(2)  how many official visits he has made to the United States since November 2000.

Tony Blair: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave the hon. Member for Truro and St. Austell (Matthew Taylor) on 8 April 2003, Official Report, columns 126–127W.
	Since April 2003 I have met the President of the United States on the following occasions:
	
		
			 Date Location/Event 
		
		
			 17 June 2003 Meeting at White House, Washington 
			 20 November 2003 Meeting at No. 10 
			 15–16 April 2004(4) Meeting at White House, Washington 
			 8–11 June 2004 G8 Summit, Sea Island, Georgia 
			 27–29 June 2004 NATO summit, Istanbul 
			 11–12 November 2004 Meeting at White House, Washington 
		
	
	(4) On 15 April I travelled to New York for a meeting with the UN Secretary General.
	I have also attended a number of international events at which the President of United States has been present.
	I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers.

Ministerial Visits

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Prime Minister how many official visits he has made to Wales since November 2000.

Tony Blair: Since November 2000 I have undertaken the following official visits to Wales:
	
		
			 Date Destination 
		
		
			 1–2 March 2001 Cardiff and Swansea 
			 3 April 2001 Cardiff 
			 30 October 2001 Cardiff 
			 3 February 2002 Cardiff 
			 28 November 2002 Cardiff 
			 28 February 2003 Swansea 
			 24 April 2003 Cardiff 
			 27–28 November 2003 Newport, Gwent, Cardiff 
			 2 May 2004 Cardiff 
		
	
	I travel making the most efficient and cost-effective arrangements. My travel arrangements are in accordance with the arrangements for official travel set out in chapter 7 of the Ministerial Code, and the accompanying guidance document, Travel by Ministers.

WALES

Departmental Offices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the cost of (a) decoration and (b) refurbishment of the London offices of the Department was in each of the last four years.

Don Touhig: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given to him by the former Secretary of State for Wales on 16 February 2004, Official Report, column 956W.
	The costs of (a) decoration and (b) refurbishment of Wales Office accommodation in London has been as follows:
	
		£
		
			  (a) Decoration (b) Refurbishment 
		
		
			 2001–02 24,864 21,609 
			 2002–03 0 14,592 
			 2003–04 5,121 2,429

Freedom of Information Act

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: Any work resulting from Wales Office compliance with the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will be carried out by existing staff as part of their normal duties. These costs are unquantifiable but I expect them to be marginal.

Smoking

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the legislative framework will be to enable the National Assembly for Wales to legislate for a ban on smoking in all workplaces and enclosed public places in Wales; and what the time scale will be for bringing forward such legislation.

Peter Hain: The Government recognise that in taking forward the public health agenda on smoking in public places it will be important to provide a legislative framework to address plans in Wales in this respect.
	The Assembly has asked an all-party committee to consider the issue. That committee is expected to report in May.

Wales Office

Lembit �pik: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how many staff were employed in the Wales Office in April (a) 1999 and (b) 2004; which jobs have been (i) created and (ii) removed; and if he will make a statement.

Don Touhig: The Wales Office was established on 1 July 1999 with a complement of 34 staff. An internal review of staffing led to the creation of six policy posts in 200001 and a review by independent consultants in 200102 recommended an additional 13 staff, mostly policy but some in central services. As a result of this review an additional 10 posts have been created with the result that in April 2004 the Wales Office employed 50 staff.

TREASURY

Tax Credits

Theresa May: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many cases of overpayment of the child care tax credit there were in the last financial year; how much money was overpaid; what the average overpayment was; and what the average weekly repayment is.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to my hon. Friend the Member for Aberdeen, South (Miss Begg) on 9 November 2004, Official Report, column 659W.

Tax Credits

David Laws: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his latest estimate is of the number of compensation payments due to errors and delays in the Inland Revenue tax credit departments, for each quarter from April 2001 to August 2004; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: There are 6.1 million people benefiting from tax credits. The total number of compensation payments in the year to August 2004 represents about one third of 1 per cent. of the number of awards current at that date.
	The numbers from April 2003 appear in the following table.
	
		Compensation payments made to tax credit claimantsApril 2003 to August 2004
		
			 Quarter Number 
		
		
			 April to June 2003 20 
			 July to September 2003 1,600 
			 October to December 2003 3,400 
			 January to March 2004 5,800 
			 April to June 2004 5,300 
			 July and August 2004 3,500 
		
	
	Quarterly figures for earlier years could not be compiled without incurring disproportionate cost. About 2,200 compensation payments were authorised in 200102 and about 1,800 in 200203. The average number of compensation payments per year represents about one sixth of one per cent. of the average number of awards current.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many applications for tax credits have been waiting for their first payment for (a) one month, (b) two months, (c) three months, (d) four months, (e) five months and (f) six months or more.

John Healey: The total number of households waiting for a decision on their tax credits claim for more than one month is 3,220. This is broken down as follows:
	(a) One month: 1,386
	(b) Two months: 744
	(c) Three months: 290
	(d) Four months: 178
	(e) Five months: 96
	(f) Six months: 526
	The largest numbers of claimants awaiting a decision are those where information provided requires further examination.

Tax Credits

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer 
	(1)  how many families are receiving child tax credits in Newcastle-under-Lyme;
	(2)  how many families are benefiting from the working tax credit in Newcastle-under-Lyme; and how many families benefited from the working families tax credit.

John Healey: Estimates of the number of in-work families in each constituency benefiting from these tax credits are shown in the various issues of Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses, and the Working Families' and Disabled Person's Tax Credit Statistics. Geographical analyses.
	Both these publications can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.

Tax Credits

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme have benefited from research and development tax credits.

John Healey: This information is not available.

Tax Credits

David Marshall: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the value is of the largest small overpayment of tax credit which the Inland Revenue has written off.

John Healey: This information is not available and could be obtained only at a disproportionate cost.

Tax Credits

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many people in the City of Edinburgh local authority area are in receipt of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit.

John Healey: Estimates of the number of in-work families benefiting in each local authority area are shown in Child and Working Tax Credits Statistics. Geographical analyses. January 2004, which can be found on the Inland Revenue website, at www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/personal-tax-credits/menu.htm.
	Estimates for December 2004 will be published on 23 December 2004.

Tax Credits

John Barrett: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the national percentage take-up of (a) child tax credit and (b) working tax credit.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws) on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 587W.

Tax Credits

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in how many cases in (a) 200203 and (b) the current financial year to date repayments have been requested for overpayment of child and working tax credit where the Inland Revenue has accepted responsibility for the error which led to overpayment.

John Healey: I refer my hon. Friend to the reply to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 15 November 2004 Official Report, columns 946948W. These tax credits were available from 200304.

Tax Credits

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many of the tax credit award notices that were sent out in (a) 200405 and (b) 200304 were sent out (i) one, (ii) two, (iii) three, (iv) four, (v) five and (vi) six months after the beginning of the financial year for which tax credits were to be paid.

John Healey: Award notices are not just sent out at the beginning of the financial year but throughout, following the successful processing of a new claim, the renewal of an existing award and the notification of changes in income or circumstances. They are sent to both partners in a couple.
	In 200405
	(i) 1,710,000 award notices were sent out between 6 April5 May 2004
	(ii) 4,280,000 were sent out between 6 May5 June 2004
	(iii) 4,820,000 were sent out between 6 June 20045 July 2004
	(iv) 3,940,000 were sent out between 6 July 20045 August 2004
	(v) 3,340,000 were sent out between 6August 20045 September 2004
	(vi) 2,810,000 were sent out between 6 September 20045 October 2004
	In 200304
	(i) 2,490,000 award notices were sent out between 6 April -5 May 2003
	(ii) 3,260,000 were sent out between 6 May5 June 2003
	(iii) 1,970,000 were sent out between 6 June5 July 2003
	(iv) 2,040,000 were sent out between 6 July5 August 2003
	(v) 1,220,000 were sent out between 6 August5 September 2003
	(vi) 1,450,000 were sent out between 6 September5 October 2003

Tax Credits

David Winnick: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer in what circumstances the Inland Revenue does not request repayment of overpayments of child and working tax credit where it accepts responsibility for the error leading to the overpayment occurring.

John Healey: The Inland Revenue's Code of Practice 26 (What happens if we have paid you too much tax credit?) sets out their approach to handling overpayments of tax credits, including those cases where the overpayment was the result of an official error.

Tax Credits

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the reasons for the number of overpayments that have been made to families in receipt of working tax credit.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General gave on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 588W to the hon. Member for Yeovil (Mr. Laws)

Tax Credits

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what action will be taken to ensure that the overpayment of working tax credit is reduced in future years.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 15 October 2004, Official Report, column 428W by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Torbay (Mr. Sanders).

Alcohol-related Deaths

Iris Robinson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the number of deaths in which alcohol was a contributory factor in each of the last 10 years.

Melanie Johnson: I have been asked to reply.
	In the Prime Minister's Strategy Unit Alcohol harm reduction project: interim analytical report it was estimated that in 2000 there were between 15,000 and 22,000 alcohol-related deaths in England and Wales.
	The report, 2003, is available at:
	www.numberl0.gov.uk/files/pdf/SU interim_report2.pdf.
	Alcohol-related deaths are shown on page 44 of the report.

Births

Martin Linton: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many children have been born to mothers resident in each constituency in the UK since 1 September 2002.

Stephen Timms: It has not proved possible to reply substantively to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Capital Gains Tax

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will provide additional training for Inland Revenue staff in respect of capital gains tax; and if he will make an assessment of the need to improve the clarity of information available to members of the public in respect of capital gains tax.

John Healey: The Inland Revenue has comprehensive training available to its staff on capital gains tax ranging from a basic awareness course to detailed courses on specific capital gains tax topics. The scope of the material is kept under regular review.
	The Inland Revenue aims to improve the quality of its guidance to the public under its Better Guidance programme and this includes capital gains tax material.

Capital Gains Tax

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will replace the system of reliefs offered to those liable for capital gains tax with a sliding scale based upon the length of time that an asset has been owned.

John Healey: Taper relief, which is one of a number of capital gains tax reliefs available, already works on a sliding scale, and reduces chargeable gains in part according to the length of time an asset has been held after 5 April 1998 or the date of acquisition if later.

Capital Gains Tax

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many different leaflets are published by Inland Revenue to explain the capital gains tax system.

John Healey: The Inland Revenue publishes three different types of leaflets to explain the capital gains tax system. A simple quick guide to introduce the subject, a more detailed booklet covering the way the tax works and detailed help sheets on specific topics.

Child Benefit

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer by how much the rated child benefit has increased since 1997.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Gentlemen to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the Member for City of York (Mr. Hugh Bayley) on 19 October 2004, Official Report, columns 5789W.

Cold Weather Mortality

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many deaths were attributed to cold weather and lack of adequate heating in homes in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the UK in each year since 1997; and what the average age of death was in each case in each year.

Stephen Timms: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the National Statistician, who has been asked to reply.
	Letter from Len Cook to Mr. Stephen Hepburn, dated 18 November 2004
	As National Statistician I have been asked to reply to your recent Parliamentary Question asking how many deaths were attributed to cold weather and lack of adequate heating in homes in (a) Jarrow constituency, (b) South Tyneside, (c) Tyne and Wear and (d) the UK in each year since 1997; and what the average age of death was in each case in each year. (199225)
	The information is not routinely available.

Company Cars

Chris Grayling: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the Inland Revenue's policy is on fuel charges for company cars; and what plans it has to reconsider levels.

John Healey: The benefit charge where an employee receives free fuel for private motoring in a company car was reformed in April 2003 to follow the environmental principles as part of company car tax reform. The second phase of the Inland Revenue's evaluation of company car tax reform is now underway, and the fuel benefit charge is being examined as part of this evaluation.

Contraceptives

Sarah Teather: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the cost of removing the VAT levy on all over-the-counter contraceptives; and what discussions (a) he, (b) his officials and (c) Ministers in his Department have had with the Department of Health about this.

John Healey: I refer the hon. Member to the reply given by my right hon. Friend the Paymaster General to the hon. Member for Romsey (Sandra Gidley) on 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 578W. Treasury Ministers and officials meet their Department of Health counterparts regularly to discuss a wide range of issues.

Corporation Tax

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme have benefited from lower rates of corporation tax.

John Healey: Nationally nearly 600,000 companies have a corporation tax liability each year. All will benefit from the cuts in the main, small and starting companies' rates of corporation tax that have been introduced in recent years. However, it is not possible to identify precisely those businesses that trade in specific areas such as Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he will reply to the letter to him of 11 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mr. Silu Meah.

John Healey: I have done so.

Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue will reply to the letter of 2 November from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead, concerning Mr. and Mrs. Edwards of Birkenhead.

John Healey: The Inland Revenue acknowledged the right hon. Member's letter on 5 November 2004 and are making a thorough investigation of his constituents' case. They will be writing to the right hon. Member shortly.

Correspondence

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when the Inland Revenue will reply to the letter from the right hon. Member for Birkenhead, dated 11 October, concerning the payment of tax credits to a constituent.

John Healey: The Inland Revenue has made a thorough investigation of the right hon. Member's constituent's case and replied on 16 November 2004.

Correspondence

Nick Gibb: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer when he expects a reply to be made to the letters of (a) 17 August to Sir Nicholas Montagu KCB and (b) 15 September to Mr. David Varney of the Board of the Inland Revenue from the hon. Member for Bognor Regis and Littlehampton.

John Healey: I understand that the Inland Revenue has replied to the hon. Member.

European Pact for Youth

Keith Vaz: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the European Pact for Youth programme entails.

Kim Howells: I have been asked to reply.
	The European Pact for Youth is not a programme. The concept was introduced at the European Council on 5 November 2004 by France, Germany, Spain and Sweden. The four countries, through the Dutch presidency, asked the European Council to consider the importance of demographic trends and address youth unemployment and social exclusion; achieve greater coherence in the EU's approach to youth issues and to find new ways to encourage higher European birth rates (including through better reconciliation of work and family life). In the presidency conclusions, the European Council took note and called for the elaboration of a European Pact for Youth. The conclusions do not specify what form this should take.

Freedom of Information Act

Andrew Selous: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Treasury already publishes significant amounts of information on its website and in its publication scheme, and routinely responds to information requests under the Open Government Code. The cost of handling future requests under the Freedom of Information Act will depend on the number and nature of such requests, which it is difficult to forecast in advance. Such extra costs as arise will be met from within the Treasury's existing running cost ceiling.

Fuel Prices

Michael Weir: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what steps he is taking to assist in stabilising fuel prices; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: The Chancellor recently set out four areas for action aimed at alleviating pressure on the crude oil price: First, OPEC must continue to take necessary action to return pricing to levels consistent with global prosperity. Secondly, actions are needed to improve the transparency and efficiency of the oil markets. Thirdly, oil producing countries need to promote sustainable investment in their reserves and productive capacity. Fourthly, all countries must promote greater energy efficiency and develop new sources of energy. G7 Finance Ministers broadly endorsed these themes at their meeting in October and called for producer and consumer action to progress them.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

John Healey: Yes.

Income Tax

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many pensioners in Newcastle-under-Lyme have benefited from the 10 per cent. rate of income tax since its introduction.

John Healey: All income taxpayers benefit from the 10p pence starting rate. The Survey of Personal Incomes (SPI) estimates that there are around 6,000 state retirement pension age taxpayers in the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency in 200001 and 200102. The sample size of pensioners living in this constituency is small in the 19992000 Survey of Personal Incomes, so a reliable estimate cannot be given for this year.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: For information relating to 199798 to 200203, I refer the hon. Gentleman to the answers which the former Financial Secretary (Ruth Kelly) gave to the hon. Member for Buckingham (Mr. Bercow) on 8 January 2002, Official Report, column 813W and 29 April 2003, Official Report, column 305W. The comparable figure for 200304 was 4.4 million.

National Insurance Contributions

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the opportunities for those remaining in education until the age of 18 years and then pursuing a four year higher education course to accrue a national insurance record sufficient to receive the full basic state pension at retirement.

John Healey: All young people receive Class 3 credits for the tax year in which they reach age 16 and the two following years.
	Subject to certain conditions, those over 18 may pay voluntary contributions to the extent these are required to qualify for a full basic state retirement pension. These may be paid up to six years after a period of education or training ends, provided the year for which they are to be paid included a period of at least six months full-time education or training. It is not always necessary to pay these since it is possible to achieve full basic state pension with up to five non-qualifying years in the working life.

National Insurance Contributions

Bill Tynan: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what proportion of those aged between 18 and 21 years in higher education made sufficient national insurance contributions in 200304 to be credited with a qualifying year.

John Healey: The information requested is not available. For individuals who made insufficient National Insurance Contributions, it is possible to pay voluntary Class 3 National Insurance Contributions. These may be paid up to six years after the period of education ends, provided the year for which they are to be paid included a period of at least six months' full-time education or training.

Negative Equity

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what recent estimate the Treasury has made of the number of households with negative equity in their homes; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Timms: The Treasury has made no such estimate. However, the Bank of England's Financial Stability Review highlights that the share of first-time buyers (FTBs) with loan-to-value ratios of over 90 per cent. has fallen back in recent years. Analysis from the Council of Mortgage Lenders, noted that: It would take significant house price falls for negative equity to resurface as a major issue in the UK, (Housing Finance, Spring 2004).

Select Committee Recommendations

Graham Allen: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many recommendations by parliamentary Select Committees have been adopted by his Department since June 2001.

Stephen Timms: Since June 2001, the House of Commons Treasury Committee has published some 27 reports, most of them containing a large number of recommendations. In addition, several other select committees of both Houses have issued reports relating to the Treasury's responsibilities and many of these reports have contained a significant number of recommendations. It would be possible to determine how many such recommendations had been accepted and implemented, either wholly or in part, only at disproportionate cost.
	Select committee reports relating to the work of the Treasury are given very careful consideration by Treasury Ministers.

Stamp Duty

Sally Keeble: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what plans he has to reform stamp duty to help first-time buyers.

Stephen Timms: The Government keep all taxes under review.

Sustainable Reporting

David Drew: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will make a statement on the Government's attitude towards sustainable reporting; and what encouragement he has given to the promotion of corporate social responsibility with particular reference to sustainable reporting.

John Healey: Following on from the Company Law Review, as announced by the Minister of State for Industry and the Regions the Government published draft regulations on the Operating and Financial Review (OFR) in May for consultation. The OFR is not intended to duplicate or replace social and environmental reports that many companies already prepare for the public interest. Proposals will require quoted companies to provide a narrative report setting out the company's business objectives, its strategy for achieving them and the risk and uncertainties that might affect their achievement. It will require companies to report on other matters where these are necessary for an understanding of the business. These matters include employees, the environment and social and community issues.
	More companies are already reporting on their corporate social responsibility (CSR) or sustainability performancefor example 132 of the UK top 250 companies reported on their environmental performance in 2003, while 139 companies participated in Business in the Community's (BITC) second Corporate Responsibility Index.
	The Government continue to support the Association of Certified and Corporate Accountant's (ACCA) Annual Sustainability Reporting Awards and helped business report on their key environmental impacts by publishing a series of voluntary guidelines, including greenhouse gas emissions, waste and water.
	Further information about the Government's vision and ambitions for CSR may be found in its report, Corporate Social Responsibility: A Government Update, published in May 2004, a copy of which is available from the House of Commons Library.

Tax records

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many tax records have been lost by the Inland Revenue due to recent computer errors; what estimate he has made of the amount of tax which will be lost to the Exchequer as a consequence; and if he will make a statement.

Dawn Primarolo: There have been no computer errors. The Chairman of the Inland Revenue has today written to the hon. Member for South Norfolk (Mr. Bacon) at the invitation of the Comptroller and Auditor General concerning PAYE Open Cases. A copy of this letter is being placed in the Library of the House.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Stephen Timms: The figures for the Chancellor's Departments and their agencies and NDPBs are given in the following table.
	
		000(5)
		
			  199798 199899 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 HM Treasury 15 21 22 4 51 19 12 
			 Debt Management Office n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 Office of Government Commerce n/a n/a n/a n/a 1 6 0 
			 OGCbuying.solutions n/a n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 
			 Royal Mint 0 0 0 0 26 0 8 
			 Statistics Commission n/a n/a n/a 0 0 0 0 
			 Office for National Statistics 3 10 7 8 4 5 28 
			 HM Customs  Excise 35 60 142 23 12 55 12 
			 Inland Revenue, including Valuation Office 93 259 136 277 514 441 702 
			 National Savings and Investments 304 310 298 454 371 202 352 
			 Government Actuary's Department 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
		
	
	n/a = Not applicabledenotes that the body did not exist in the year in question.
	(5) Rounded to the nearest thousand pounds.
	The figures include known and estimates values for known instances of theft and fraud committed by employees, net of recoveries. They also include values for known instances of theft and fraud committed by contractors.
	In common with other direct mail retailers, the Royal Mint experiences cheque and credit fraud in connection with its retail business. Reliable data on the level of such fraud is not readily available.
	The figures for HM Customs and Excise and the Inland Revenue do not include estimates of revenue lost through fraud or theft by taxpayers.
	The figures for National Savings and Investments include theft and fraud committed via savings products.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID works with a large number of civil society organisations both within the UK and elsewhere. However, we do not accept funding or sponsorship for projects or events that might be seen to link the UK Government's Overseas Development programme with commercial interests. The number of occasions where we have accepted funding or sponsorship from commercial organisations is therefore likely to be very small and the cost of obtaining the information required would be disproportionate.

Emergency Aid

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what contribution his Department (a) made and (b) is making to the dispatch of emergency aid to Butuo, Liberia; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what efforts his Department is undertaking to assist refugees from Cte d'Ivoire in (a) Liberia, (b) Guinea, (c) Mali, (d) Burkina Faso and (e) Ghana; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what assessement his Department has made of the numbers of refugees from Cte d'Ivoire that have arrived in (a) Liberia, (b) Guinea, (c) Mali, (d) Burkina Fasco and (e) Ghana in each month since September 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what assistance his Department is providing to the UN High Commissioner for Refugees for its voluntary return programme for the repatriation of Liberian refugees; and if he will make a statement;
	(5)  what estimate his Department has made of the number of Liberian refugees in West Africa; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what programmes his Department (a) has set up, (b) is running and (c) is funding in Malaysia to assist the Rohingya refugees from Myanmar; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  what assessment his Department has made of the impact of the Cartagena Declaration on refugees on the (a) definition and (b) treatment of refugees in Latin America; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member for Moray in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information Act

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has not attempted to estimate the cost of dealing with FOI (Freedom of Information) requests in 2005, due to the difficulty of estimating the volume of requests and because DFID divisions will be expected to meet FOI obligations within existing administration budgets.
	The unit providing central support for meeting FOI requests has a staffing budget of 211,000 for 200405 and also provides records management support across DFID. The level of resources will be reviewed in the light of public demand and the workload under FOI.
	DFID will seek to comply with FOI cost-effectively through continuing to be open in what is proactively disclosed and through efficient records and information management.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend for Tooting in the time available before Prorogation.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID has had five Green Ministers since 1997, as follows: George Foulkes, Hilary Benn, Chris Mullin, Sally Keeble, and myself.

Iran

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what provision has been made for (a) housing, (b) feeding and (c) schooling women and children who have left their homes in Falluja as a result of coalition forces' action; and what arrangements will be made for these refugees to return to their homes.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member for Brent East in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  what assistance is being provided by the UK to restore essential utilities infrastructure to Falluja;
	(2)  what additional resources the UK will provide to assist in the re-building of Falluja;
	(3)  what action is being taken by the UK to ensure emergency water and electricity supplies will be provided to the citizens of Falluja.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend for Hampstead and Highgate in the time available before Prorogation.

Malaria

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what assessment he has made of shortages identified by the United Nations of artemisinin-based combination therapy used in the treatment of malaria.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: DFID is guided by the World Health Organisation (WHO) on this subject. The WHO has indicated a shortfall in global supplies of artemisinin-based combination therapy (ACT), the most effective medicines available to treat drug resistant malaria, until March 2005. The shortfall is caused by a recent four-fold increase in demand as more countries adopt ACT as first line treatment. 40 countries, 20 in Africa, have adopted ACT since 2001.
	The rapid increase in demand has created temporary pressure on availability in the market. There is insufficient supply of the key ingredient, artemether, from largely, its Chinese suppliers. Artemether is derived from artemisinin, a raw material extracted from the plant Artemisia annua. Chinese suppliers are scaling up production and efforts are underway to cultivate the plant in East Africa however cultivation requires a minimum of six months with extraction, processing and manufacturing of the final product requiring an additional three to five months. The UK and other agencies have encouraged the Chinese authorities to support cultivation in Africa through providing seed stocks.
	The WHO is recommending that all countries facing shortages increase procurement of their second-line anti-malarial treatment, which is generally quinine. The WHO will provide technical assistance to any country facing interrupted supply of ACT and will provide regular information on expected quantities available, and delivery schedules. The WHO will also establish a system to prioritize between requests for ACT. A number of countries are in the process of changing drugs policies and are likely to put plans on hold temporarily.
	The active ingredient within artemisinin has been identified and it is likely that chemical synthesis will replace reliance on cultivation within the next decade.
	DFID supports programmes in many African countries to provide insecticide treated bed nets to the vulnerable and also supports efforts to strengthen health systems in malaria-affected countries.

Palestinian Territories

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what co-operation his Department has had with members of the Arab League in alleviating poverty in the Palestinian Territories.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend for Carrick, Cumnock and Doon Valley in the time available before Prorogation.

Stabex Programme

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what representations he has made to the European Commission concerning the retrieval of accurate information on the use of funds channelled through the Stabex programme; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: The Secretary of State has not made specific representations to the European Commission on this matter. No new commitments can be made under the Stabex instrument, which expired when the 9th European Development Fund came into force in April 2003. Some pre-existing Stabex commitments remain undisbursed and DFID officials continue to work with the European Commission to ensure that they are deployed effectively. The total amount committed but not disbursed in December 2003, was 3.8 billion; of this amount, agreements had been signed for all but 12million.

Turkmenistan/Armenia

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what development aid has been provided by the Government to the Governments of (a) Turkmenistan and (b) Armenia in each year since 2000; what conditions have been attached in each case; and what assessment has been made of the effectiveness of these conditions.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member for Boston and Skegness in the time available before Prorogation.

Yasser Arafat

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate his Department has made of the amount of funds in US dollars held by the estate of the late Yasser Arafat which originated from (a) United Kingdom bilateral aid and (b) aid from the European Union; and if he will make a statement.

Mr. Gareth Thomas: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member for Lichfield in the time available before Prorogation.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Street Wardens (Wandsworth)

Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with Wandsworth council on the future role of street wardens in the London borough of Wandsworth;
	(2)  what contribution his Department has made towards the cost of street wardens in the London borough of Wandsworth.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has contributed 1.3 million towards two warden schemes in the London borough of Wandsworth between 200102 and 200405. Officials in the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister have met with representatives from the London borough of Wandsworth on three occasions this year in May, June and September to discuss the future of the street wardens in the borough. These discussions are continuing.

Affordable Housing

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how affordable housing is defined by his Department in its projection of future housing need.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister does not make national projections of future housing need, but publishes trends based projections of future household growth based on demographic assumptions.
	Assessments of future housing requirements, including affordable housing, are carried out by local planning authorities within the framework of the Regional Spatial Strategy process. For the purposes of securing affordable housing through the planning system, affordable housing can encompass both low-cost market and subsidised housing, irrespective of tenure, that is available to people who cannot afford to rent or buy houses generally available on the open market. In assessing future housing needs, local authorities are therefore expected to define in their Local Development Frameworks what they consider to be affordable in their area, in terms of the relationship between local income levels and house prices or rents for different types of households.

Affordable Housing

Simon Hughes: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will break down Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 200406 Approved Development Programme by (a) one-bed, (b) two-bed, (c) three-bed and (d) four-bed or more;
	(2)  if he will break down Low Cost Home Ownership (LCHO) units planned for Southwark in the Housing Corporation's 200406 Approved Development Programme by (a) conventional shared ownership, (b) key worker shared ownership, (c) Homebuy and (d) other forms of LCHO.

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation have so far allocated resources to fund a total of 239 shared ownership dwellings, of which 174 are for Keyworkers, and 196 Homebuy dwellings in Southwark over the years 200406. The other forms of Low Cost Home Ownership are Right to Acquire, which is demand-led; and the Voluntary Purchase Grant, of which none are planned in Southwark.
	The following table below the split of low cost homeownership schemes by one, two, three and four or more bedrooms. The figure for Homebuy Market Purchase cannot be broken down until the individual properties are purchased.
	
		Low cost homeownership in Southwark
		
			  Dwellings 1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed 4 Bed 
		
		
			 Homebuy Market Purchase 196 n/k n/k n/k n/k 
			 Conventional Shared OwnershipKeyworker 174 75 98 1 0 
			 Conventional Shared OwnershipOther 65 26 39 0 0 
			 Total 435 101 137 1 0

Affordable Housing

Kate Hoey: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  how many of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Lambeth in the Housing Corporation's 200406 Approved Development Programme are (a) one-bed units, (b) two-bed units, (c) three-bed units and (d) four-bed or more units;
	(2)  how many of the Low Cost Home Ownership units planned for Lambeth in the Housing Corporation's 200406 Approved Development Programme are (a) conventional shared ownership units, (b) Do-it-Yourself shared ownership units, (c) Homebuy units and (d) other forms of low-cost home ownership.

Keith Hill: The Housing Corporation have so far allocated resources to fund a total of 275 shared ownership dwellings, and 196 Homebuy dwellings in Lambeth over the years 200406. In 1999, Homebuy was introduced into the Housing Corporation Approved Development Programme to replace Do-It-Yourself shared ownership schemes. The other forms of Low Cost Home Ownership are Right to Acquire, which is demand-led; and the Voluntary Purchase Grant, of which none are planned in Lambeth.
	The following table shows the split of Low Cost Home Ownership schemes by one, two, three and four or more bedrooms. The figure for Homebuy Market Purchase cannot be broken down until the individual properties are purchased.
	
		Low Cost Home Ownership in Lambeth
		
			  Dwellings One bed Two bed Three bed Four bed 
		
		
			 Homebuy Market Purchase 196 n/k n/k n/k n/k 
			 Conventional Shared OwnershipKeyworker 152 78 68 12  
			 Conventional Shared OwnershipOther 123 72 45 0 0 
			 Total 471 150 113 12 0

Battersea Power Station

Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on his Department's proposed redevelopment of Battersea Power Station.

Phil Hope: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no proposals to redevelop Battersea Power Station. Planning applications from Parkview Limited, owners of Battersea Power Station, for refurbishment of the building and redevelopment of the site, were considered by the London borough of Wandsworth in October 2004. The Government Office for London issued a holding direction to enable a last minute request for call-in from a third party to be considered. The holding direction was subsequently removed and the applications were not called in, leaving the council free to determine them.

Compulsory Purchase Orders

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will (a) remove and (b) limit the liability of sheriffs for damages claims in the event of improper enforcement of compulsory purchase orders.

Keith Hill: My right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister has no such proposals in hand. This is a matter which is normally dealt with through indemnity insurance.

Fire Service

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will establish an independent review into the future of regional fire control centres;
	(2)  how many representations (a) for and (b) against a regional fire control centre he has received from Gloucestershire residents.

Nick Raynsford: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has had an independent accessibility audit carried out in each of its Greater London Buildings.
	Where deficiencies were highlighted by these audits, reasonable adjustments have been made to make the buildings accessible to disabled staff and visitors.

Housing

Helen Jones: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many homeless households are awaiting accommodation in each local authority in the north-west.

Keith Hill: A breakdown of homeless households in various forms of temporary accommodation at the end of June 2004, either pending a decision on their application or awaiting the allocation of a settled home, as reported by local authorities in the North West Government Office region is tabled as follows. As can be seen from the table, around half of households in temporary accommodation at the end of the quarter were either in local authority/Housing Association stock or accommodation leased from the private sector.
	
		Homeless households in temporary accommodation(6) in the north west region as at 30 June 2004
		
			 Local authority Bed and breakfast (including shared annexe) Hostels (including women's refuges) LA/HA stock Private sector leased (by LA or RSL) 
		
		
			 North West Region estimates 250 930 1,320 40 
			 Percentage of total 9 34 48 1 
			 Allerdale 6 4 0 0 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 2 0 7 0 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 10 0 0 
			 Blackpool 29 52 13 0 
			 Bolton 0 14 50 0 
			 Burnley 6 19 10 1 
			 Bury 0 15 0 0 
			 Carlisle 0 40 0 0 
			 Chester 2 4 16 0 
			 Chorley 0 23 0 0 
			 Congleton 0 0 3 0 
			 Copeland 1 0 5 0 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 4 0 7 0 
			 Eden 2 0 15 3 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 1 20 22 0 
			 Fylde (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 Halton 0 0 34 0 
			 Hyndburn 0 5 0 0 
			 Knowsley 1 13 20 0 
			 Lancaster (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 Liverpool 0 155 0 0 
			 Macclesfield 0 11 224 0 
			 Manchester 50 203 342 0 
			 Oldham 1 71 0 0 
			 Pendle 5 2 0 0 
			 Preston 0 37 1 19 
			 Ribble Valley 0 3 0 0 
			 Rochdale 11 41 6 0 
			 Rossendale 0 0 0 0 
			 Salford 42 33 0 0 
			 Sefton 0 0 5 0 
			 South Lakeland 0 13 47 0 
			 South Ribble 9 5 0 0 
			 St Helens 10 38 15 0 
			 Stockport 0 37 0 0 
			 Tameside 14 19 28 0 
			 Trafford 0 21 56 0 
			 Vale Royal 2 4 49 7 
			 Warrington (8) (8) (8) (8) 
			 West Lancashire 0 1 0 0 
			 Wigan 7 10 39 0 
			 Wirral 1 2 1 0 
			 Wyre 17 1 0 0 
		
	
	
		
			 Local authority Other types (including private landlord) Total in TA secured by local authority Homeless at home(7) awaiting accommodation as at 30 June 
		
		
			 North West Region estimates 230 2,770 3,520 
			 Percentage of total 8 100  
			 Allerdale 0 10 15 
			 Barrow-in-Furness 0 9 3 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 2 12 142 
			 Blackpool 8 102 7 
			 Bolton 5 69 81 
			 Burnley 6 42 66 
			 Bury 0 15 (8) 
			 Carlisle 0 40 0 
			 Chester 9 31 18 
			 Chorley 3 26 29 
			 Congleton 0 3 7 
			 Copeland 0 6 0 
			 Crewe and Nantwich 0 11 0 
			 Eden 1 21 14 
			 Ellesmere Port and Neston 4 47 0 
			 Fylde (8) (8) 1 
			 Halton 0 34 0 
			 Hyndburn 0 5 78 
			 Knowsley 2 36 123 
			 Lancaster (8) (8) (8) 
			 Liverpool 0 155 162 
			 Macclesfield 0 235 6 
			 Manchester 100 695 215 
			 Oldham 0 72 0 
			 Pendle 0 7 17 
			 Preston 0 57 12 
			 Ribble Valley 5 8 8 
			 Rochdale 0 58 130 
			 Rossendale 0 0 0 
			 Salford 0 75 745 
			 Sefton 0 5 69 
			 South Lakeland 0 60 9 
			 South Ribble 30 44 167 
			 St Helens 2 65 114 
			 Stockport 6 43 118 
			 Tameside 15 76 515 
			 Trafford 5 82 234 
			 Vale Royal 26 88 89 
			 Warrington (8) (8) (8) 
			 West Lancashire 0 1 0 
			 Wigan 0 56 0 
			 Wirral 0 4 129 
			 Wyre 0 18 18 
		
	
	(6) Households in temporary accommodation pending completion of inquiries into their application, or after being accepted, under homelessness legislation.
	(7) Households designated as Homeless at Home have remained in their existing accommodation and have the same rights to suitable alternative accommodation as those in accommodation arranged by authorities.
	3 Data not reported.
	Source:
	ODPM P1E homelessness returns (quarterly)
	The latest quarterly Statistical Release on statutory homelessness, published by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on 13 September, presented analyses up to the end of the second quarter of 2004. Information on households in temporary accommodation at local authority level is contained in an associated Supplementary Table. These are available in the Library of the House, and via the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister's website.

Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister 
	(1)  if he will break down the low cost home ownership units planned for (a) Enfield and (b) Greater London in the Housing Corporation's 2004 to 2006 approved development programme by (i) conventional shared ownership, (ii) key worker shared ownership, (iii) homebuy and (iv) other forms of low cost home ownership;
	(2)  if he will break down the low cost home ownership units planned for (a) Enfield and (b) Greater London in the Housing Corporation's 2004 to 2006 approved development programme by (i) one-bed, (ii) two-bed, (iii) three-bed and (iv) four-bed and more.

Keith Hill: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Housing

Andrew Love: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many shared ownership properties were sold in (a) Enfield and (b) Greater London in each year since 1997; and how many of those properties were purchased by someone (i) already in social housing in that area, (ii) on the single housing register in that area and (iii) a key worker.

Keith Hill: A table containing this information (for every local authority in England) has been made available in the Library of the House.
	The table includes, for each financial year from 199798 to 200304 and for every English local authority and for each Government office region:
	the number of shared ownership sales;
	how many shared ownership sales were to people who were previously social tenants in the area;
	how many shared ownership sales were to people who were registered on a local authority waiting list/common housing register.
	Note that the figures relate to the sales of initial shares only. Subsequent purchases of additional equity are not included.
	It should be noted that figures on the number of key workers that bought shared ownership properties during the period 199798 to 200304 are not available. This is because the purchaser's occupation was not collected as part of CORE Sales during this period.

Illegal Encampments

Michael Spicer: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister who is responsible for the payment of the costs of (a) eviction and (b) clearing sites following illegal encampments of travellers on private land.

Keith Hill: The cost of eviction of unauthorised encampments of Gypsies and Travellers on private land is borne by the landowner, except where the police have used section 61 of the Criminal Justice and Public Order Act 1994 to direct the campers to leave. The cost of site clearance after eviction is borne by the landowner.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister was established in May 2002. The amount spent by the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on maintenance, renovation, council tax and running costs of Government owned official residences assigned to Ministers in the Office by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister was 60,331.09 in 200203 and 38,360.97 in 200304.
	The maintenance, renovation, and running costs cover work across the whole of Admiralty House, of which the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister contributes a set proportion.
	There has been no expenditure on residences for use by officials.

New Housing

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what proportion of new houses built since 1997 were built on (a) greenfield and (b) brownfield sites.

Keith Hill: The latest published figures from Land Use Change Statistics show the proportions of new dwellings on undeveloped (greenfield) and previously-developed (brownfield) land in England are tabled as follows:
	
		Percentage
		
			  Greenfield Brownfield All 
		
		
			 1997 44 56 100 
			 1998 42 58 100 
			 1999 41 59 100 
			 2000 39 61 100 
			 2001 37 63 100 
			 2002 33 67 100 
			 2003 33 67 100 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figures for dwellings on brownfield land include conversions.
	2. The 2003 figure is provisional.

New Housing

David Taylor: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many new houses have been planned by his Department for construction in (a) North West Leicestershire and (b) the East Midlands over the next 10 years; what proportion will be on brownfield sites; and what proportion will be affordable housing.

Keith Hill: For North West Leicestershire the well advanced Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan covering the period 19962016 looks to the North West Leicestershire district council to provide a total of 7,350 dwellings.
	The current Regional Spatial Strategy (issued as RPG8 in January 2002) for the East Midlands issued in January 2002 establishes an average housing provision figure of 13,700 per annum for the Region between 2001 and 2021. This will be increased by the current proposed changes for the revised Regional Spatial Strategy (RSS) which proposes increases in Northamptonshire, part of the Milton Keynes and South Midlands Growth Area, that would bring the regional average housing provision up to 15,925 houses per annum.
	PPS11 advises that RSS should include targets for the proportion of new dwellings to be built on previously developed land or through conversions. Recent achievement in the East Midlands has been around 40 per cent., with wide variations across the region. This is lower that the national figure of 60 per cent. and may reflect the character of the Region, which is substantially rural, with no major metropolitan area. Policy 21 of the proposed changes for RPG/RSS8 published in July 2004 sets a target of 60 per cent. by 2021.
	Policy 26 of the existing RSS indicates that there could be a need for affordable housing provision across the Region of around 3,400 dwellings per annum. More work is being done on assessing this need and the Government are currently considering whether to issue evidence-based regional affordable housing targets, which would take into account the different types of affordable housing, e.g. low cost market housing, mixed tenant housing and social housing.

Regional Chambers

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister if he will make a statement on the procedure for regional planning in the event of a regional chamber being dissolved.

Nick Raynsford: Since the issue of PPG12 in 1992, there has been an expectation that each English region should have up-to-date regional planning guidance in which the regional planning body would have an important role in preparing. That role is currently discharged by regional chambers, established following the Regional Development Agencies Act (1998). It would be very regrettable if a regional chamber were dissolved and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister see no reason why this should happen. But under the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act, 2004, the regional planning body does not have to be the regional chamber and regional planning procedures are not dependent on there being regional chambers. The Act provides for a regional planning body to be recognised by the Secretary of State my right hon. Friend the Deputy Prime Minister, and for at least 60 per cent. of the members of that body to be members of local authorities, National Park Authorities and, where relevant, the Broads Authority.

Telecommunications Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment his Department has made of the extent to which paragraph (a) 11 and (b) 13 of PPG8 relating to consultation with schools about transmission masts erected nearby is followed by telecommunication companies.

Keith Hill: The Code of Best Practice on Mobile Network Development was produced to provide clear and practical advice to ensure the delivery of significantly better and more effective communication and consultation between operators, local authorities and local people. It provides more detailed advice than is contained in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 on Telecommunications (PPG8) about how schools and colleges should be consulted in relation to telecommunications developments. The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has commissioned a study to assess the impact that the Code has had since its introduction and how local authorities have implemented the Code and how the public perceives its operation. This will provide an indication of the extent to which the guidance at paragraphs 11 and 13 of PPG8 is followed.

Telecommunications Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what representations he has received from the Local Government Association in the last 24 months on changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no record of receiving any representations from the Local Government Association in the last 24 months on changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts.

Telecommunications Masts

Richard Spring: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many representations he has received from hon. Members in the last 12 months on changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts.

Keith Hill: The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost, as it is not possible from the central recording systems to accurately identify all of representations received from hon. Members that included the issue of changing the planning laws that relate to transmission masts.

Telecommunications Masts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister how many applications for mobile telephone masts he (a) rejected and (b) approved in each year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The information on appeal decisions held by the Planning Inspectorate refers to telecommunications generally. The following therefore includes radio and television masts, satellite dishes and other antennas as well as mobile phone masts. The figures for England and Wales are tabled as follows:
	
		
			  Allowed Dismissed Split 
		
		
			 199899 27 33 3 
			 19992000 99 75 1 
			 200001 203 115 0 
			 200102 323 181 1 
			 200203 562 337 2 
			 200304 393 298 1 
			 429 October 141 133 0 
		
	
	Split refers to when the inspector has allowed part of the appeal but has dismissed another part.

Telecommunications Masts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what guidelines are in place to encourage siting of mobile telephone masts away from areas of population when there is no bearing on the quality of reception; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: Current planning guidance for all electronic communication developments is set out in Planning Policy Guidance Note 8 (revised) (PPG8). The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has also issued a Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development.
	As mobile telecommunications systems are demand-led, the increase in the use of mobile phones has meant that operators need to continually expand their networks to accommodate customer requirements of service and quality. The greatest need for base station sites is usually in built-up areas where there is the greatest density of mobile users and within a mile or two of the main roads, where the demands on network capacity are greatest.
	The Stewart Report on Mobile Phones and Health, published in May 2000, did not recommend that the erection of mobile phone masts should be restricted in residential areas and the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister has no plans to introduce such a restriction.

Telecommunications Masts

Chris Ruane: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what assessment he has made of the risks posed by mobile telephone masts located in petrol stations; and if he will make a statement.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister develops planning policies based on the advice from experts working in other Government Departments and agencies who assess the risks associated with mobile phone base stations. The Health and Safety Executive are responsible for policy on chemicals and flammables and liaises with the Petroleum Licensing Authority.

Use Classes Order

John Grogan: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister when he expects to implement reform of the Use Classes Order.

Keith Hill: The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister expects to lay the amending statutory instruments before the end of the year to come into force early next year.

SCOTLAND

Consultants

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Anne McGuire: The number of consultancy firms retained by the Scotland Office since June 2001, the project description and the total cost in each case was as follows:
	
		
			  Number of Firms Cost (000) Description 
		
		
			 200102 1 17,864 Professional services in relation to the Scottish Northern Ferry Service. 
			 200203 1 4,620 Professional services in relation to the Scottish Northern Ferry Service. 
			 200203 1(8) 6,100 Report on Devolution in Europe 
			 200304 1 10,044 Senior Civil Service Assessment Centre 
		
	
	(8) This work was undertaken by an individual, not a consultancy firm

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999.
	Expenditure on advertising, which includes the cost of creative work and media spend, was as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 19992000 26,861 
			 200001 270,494 
			 200102 186,564 
			 200203 10,930 
			 200304 Nil 
		
	
	Most of the expenditure between 19992000 and 200102 relates to electoral registration matters. Since 2001, this has been the responsibility of the Electoral Commission.
	Expenditure on advertising by contractor in 200203 was as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 Feather Brooksbank 8,800 
			 TMP Worldwide 2,130 
		
	
	Details of the expenditure for previous years are not readily available and separate records of administration costs for advertising activities are not maintained.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established on 1 July 1999. Details of individual amounts of sponsorship valued at more than 5,000 are published in the Scotland Office's Annual Reports. The only occasion where the Office received funding from commercial bodies related to the launch of the Friends of Scotland initiative in November 2001. Details are in the Scotland Office Departmental Report 2002, copies of which are available in the Library of the House.

Departmental Offices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what the cost of (a) decoration and (b) refurbishment of the London offices of the Department was in each of the last four years.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office is required by the terms of the building lease for its London office to maintain an acceptable standard of decoration and repair. The Office does not however record decoration and refurbishment costs separately. The total costs in each of the last four years were:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200001 Nil 
			 200102 49,491 
			 200203 2,554 
			 200304 34,551

Departmental Publications (Accessibility)

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many and what proportion of publications issued by his Department are available in (a) braille, (b) autoprint, (c) large print and (d) easy read format.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office produces very few publications and hard copies are not routinely available in alternative formats. However, printed publications would be made available in alternative formats on request.
	Publications are also available via the Scotland Office website which adheres to the guidelines for UK Government websites. This requires resizing and printing documents in large text; is compatible with text-to-speech software; and contains links to pages providing advice for those who need to adapt on-line documents for ease of reading.

Energy

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what recent discussions he has had with the First Minister on energy needs of Scotland over the next 15 years.

Anne McGuire: My right hon. Friend's discussions with the First Minister from time to time cover energy issues. Projections of energy demand are routinely made on a UK basis by the Department of Trade and Industry.

Freedom of Information Act

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office has made an overall assessment of the requirements arising from implementation of the Freedom of Information Act 2000. This has included internal training and awareness raising events for officials, together with the setting of procedures and systems for handling prospective requests under the Act.
	The costs of compliance will be met from within the existing budgetary provision for the Office.

Legislative Scrutiny

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many hours of scrutiny were given to each Bill relating exclusively to Scotland between 1997 and 1999, broken down by (a) Scottish Grand Committee, (b) House and (c) House of Lords.

Anne McGuire: The following Scottish Acts were passed between 1997 and 1999:
	
		
			 1997 Royal Assent 
		
		
			 Contract (Scotland) 21 March 1997 
			 Crime and Punishment (Scotland) 21 March 1997 
			 Flood Prevention and Land Drainage (Scotland) 21 March 1997 
			 Local Government (Gaelic Names) (Scotland) 27 February 1997 
			 Planning (Consequential Provisions) (Scotland) 27 February 1997 
			 Planning (Hazardous Substances) (Scotland) 27 February 1997 
			 Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas (Scotland) 27 February 1997 
			   
			 Scottish Legal Services Ombudsman and Commissioner  
			 For Local Administration in Scotland 21 March 1997 
			 Town and Country Planning (Scotland) 27 February 1997 
			 Transfer of Crofting Estates (Scotland) 19 March 1997 
			   
			 1998  
			 Criminal Procedure (Intermediate Diets) (Scotland) 8 April 1998 
			 Registered Establishments (Scotland) 9 July 1998 
			 Scotland 19 November 1998 
			   
			 1999  
			 Mental Health (Amendment) (Scotland) 11 November 1999 
		
	
	The hours of scrutiny given to each Act, broken down as requested, is available from the Public Bill Office.

Mobile Telephones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office was established in July 1999. Since that date the total number of mobile phones in use within the Office has been:
	
		
			  Ministers and special advisers Officials 
		
		
			 199900 6 24 
			 200001 5 24 
			 200102 5 31 
			 200203 6 31 
			 200304 5 37 
			 200405 (to date) 3 37 
		
	
	To date only one mobile phone has been reported as lost, and this occurred in the financial year 200203. No phones have been reported stolen.
	The separate costs of mobile phones supplied to ministers, special advisers and officials on a year-by-year basis are not available. However the total cost of mobile phones services, which include the cost of equipment, the call charges and the access charges (line rental), are detailed in the following table. The costs in the early years reflect the initial purchase of equipment.
	
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199900 6,760 
			 200001 14,275 
			 200102 11,850 
			 200203 7,216 
			 200304 6,646 
			 200405 ( to date ) 3,408

Parliamentary Boundaries

Peter Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland 
	(1)  what the latest date would be by which the orders implementing the Boundary Commission for Scotland's report on Parliamentary Boundaries in Scotland would have to take effect in order for an election in May 2005 to be contested on the new parliamentary constituencies;
	(2)  what advice he has received from local authorities in Scotland about the period of time they would require prior to a general election in order for them to make the necessary arrangements for that election to be contested on the constituency boundaries recommended by the Boundary Commission for Scotland.

Alistair Darling: The Order in Council implementing the Boundary Commission for Scotland's report would need to be in force before dissolution of Parliament had been announced, if it were to affect the next general election.
	I have not received any advice from local authorities in Scotland on the time required prior to a general election for them to make the arrangements for that election to be contested on the new constituency boundaries.

Public Relations (Expenditure)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how much money his Department has spent on public relations in each of the last three years; and how much is projected to be spent in each of the next three years.

Anne McGuire: The Scotland Office has had no expenditure on public relations in the last three years and does not expect to have any expenditure in the next three years.

Scottish Grand Committee

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland how many meetings of the Scottish Grand Committee there were in each year since 1997; where the meetings were held; and what the subject matter of debate for each Committee meeting was.

Anne McGuire: holding answer 26 October 2004
	The information is as follows:
	
		
			 Date Venue Subject 
		
		
			 1997   
			 13 January Edinburgh Scotland in the world 
			 3 February Selkirk Education and local government finance in Scotland 
			 17 February Montrose Housing and local government finance in Scotland 
			 8 July Westminster Implications of the Budget for Scotland 
			 3 December Westminster Statement on Scottish local government settlement 
			  
			 1998   
			 27 January Westminster Agriculture in Scotland 
			 2 March Edinburgh Local government finance and services in Scotland 
			 7 April Westminster Health in Scotland 
			 20 May Westminster Further and higher education in Scotland 
			 16 June Westminster Community safety in Scotland 
			 6 July Edinburgh Promotion of Scottish exports 
			 21 July Westminster Childcare strategy for Scotland 
			  
			 1999   
			 18 January Edinburgh Health in Scotland 
			 1 February Edinburgh Land reform in Scotland 
			 8 March Edinburgh Education and the enterprise economy in Scotland 
			 22 March Edinburgh The Budget and the Scottish economy 
			  
			 2000   
			 29 February Westminster The New Deal and Youth Employment in Scotland 
			 5 April Westminster Effect of the high pound on Scotland's economy 
			 12 June Westminster Size of the Scottish Parliament 
			 10 July Glasgow Fairness at work and employment rights 
			  
			 2001   
			 28 March Westminster Future of the oil and gas industry in Scotland 
			 28 November Westminster Scotland in the world: a new perspective 
			   
			 2002   
			 13 February Westminster Scottish energy in the 21st Century 
			 5 March Westminster Defence in Scotland 
			 8 May Westminster North Sea oil and gas industry 
			 10 July Westminster Impact of the Government's policies in promoting social inclusion in Scotland 
			 10 December  Scottish fishing industry 
			  
			 2003   
			 12 February Westminster The Scottish Economy 
			 12 November Westminster Evolution of the constitutional arrangements for Scotland

Welfare Baby Milk Foods

David Marshall: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland whether the distribution of welfare baby milk foods in Scotland is a reserved responsibility.

Anne McGuire: The scheme, which is available to pregnant women, nursing mothers and children under five years in families receiving qualifying benefits, is a reserved responsibility under Schedule 5, Head J, Section J5 of the Scotland Act 1998.

NORTHERN IRELAND

Agency Temporary Staff

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data is kept centrally.

Ian Pearson: Available figures for the 11 departments of the Northern Ireland Administration and the Northern Ireland Office are shown on the following table. Further figures could only be obtained at disproportionate costs.
	
		Partial statistics showing the number of Agency temporary workers employed by departments over the last five financial years (19992004). -- Number
		
			 Department 19992000 200001 200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Agriculture and Rural Development 0 0 0 0 1 
			 Culture, Arts and Leisure 2 25 21 12 8 
			 Education 0 0 0 0 14 
			 Employment and Learning 0 0 0 1 0 
			 Enterprise, Trade and Industry 0 1 1 0 1 
			 Environment 0 0 1 11 10 
			 Finance and Personnel n/a 38 36 43 41 
			 Health, Social Services and Public Safety n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Regional Development 0 0 0 0 34 
			 Social Development 0 0 44 38 22 
			 Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister n/a 1 1 5 1 
			 Northern Ireland Office (9)0 (9)0 27 40 29 
			 TOTALS 2 65 131 150 161 
			 Overall Total 509 
		
	
	(9) Does not include NIO's London based staff

Allergies

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps are being taken to improve diagnosis of allergies by general practitioners in the Province.

Angela Smith: A recent House of Commons Health Select Committee Report on allergy services has made a number of recommendations which may lead to improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of allergies within primary care.
	The recommendations include allergy care becoming part of basic GP training and the introduction of incentives to GP practices to improve allergy care.

Allergies

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps have been taken to improve hospital allergy services in the Province.

Angela Smith: The Regional Immunology Centre at the Royal Victoria Hospital treats patients with severe allergies. At present the service has been coming under increased pressure due to a rising incidence of allergy problems.
	Staffing of this specialty will be addressed in the Department's Review of Clinical Pathology Laboratory Services. Commissioners have recently secured funding for a second consultant and the Royal Group of Hospitals has also appointed additional laboratory staff and two whole-time equivalent nurses to the specialty.
	In addition, patients with milder allergic conditions are treated at other clinics (particularly respiratory, asthma and dermatology) or in a primary care setting.

Allergies

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what measures he is taking to reduce waiting times for specialist consultations for people with allergies in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: The Regional Immunology Centre at the Royal Victoria hospital treats patients with severe allergies. At present the service has been coming under increased pressure due to a rising incidence of allergy problems.
	Staffing of this specialty will be addressed in the Department's Review of Clinical Pathology Laboratory Services. Commissioners have recently secured funding for a second consultant and the Royal Group of Hospitals has also appointed additional laboratory staff and two whole-time equivalent nurses to the specialty.
	In addition, patients with milder allergic conditions are treated at other clinics (particularly respiratory, asthma and dermatology) or in a primary care setting.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what proceedings have been commenced for the issue of antisocial behaviour orders since their introduction; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: The Antisocial Behaviour (NI) Order 2004 was brought into operation on 25 August 2004 and, in particular, for ASBO's without conviction.
	The Housing Executive, the police and local Councils through officers nominated by SOLACE have been finalizing the operational arrangements for dealing with antisocial behaviour and making applications for ASBO's to the Magistrate's Court.
	The preparatory work is nearing completion, while, at the same time, authorities have been identifying and monitoring specific individual cases of antisocial behaviour. These may require ASBO's to be awarded against those individuals found guilty of acting in an unacceptable and anti social manner.
	I am advised that the first applications for an ASBO are likely in the near future.

Antisocial Behaviour Orders

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what guidance he has sought from his colleagues in the Home Office in relation to best practice advice for antisocial behaviour orders.

John Spellar: There has been regular and ongoing contact between my NIO officials and their colleagues in the Antisocial Behaviour Unit of the Home Office.
	In addition to providing advice on the developing guidance, the Antisocial Behaviour Unit has also provided detailed advice on how antisocial behaviour has been successfully dealt with through the use of ASBO's in different locations in GB.
	This advice has been acknowledged as making a very positive contribution to the developing guidance and practice being put in place in Northern Ireland.
	Indeed, there has been a recent visit to the ASBU of the Home Office to obtain first hand advice of best practice issues in relation, to obtaining ASBO's, including attending a Magistrates Court in the London borough of Camden. to hear a successful ASBO application.

Ardoyne (Public Order Offences)

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many people were (a) charged with public order offences, (b) arrested and (c) convicted arising out of disorder in the Ardoyne area on 12 July in each of the last three years.

Ian Pearson: The information requested is as follows:
	
		Number of persons
		
			  Arrested Charged Convicted 
		
		
			 2002 0 0 0 
			 2003 0 0 0 
			 2004 18 18 8 
		
	
	Criminal proceedings resulting from disorder in the Ardoyne area on 12 July 2004 have not been completed in all cases.
	2004 statistics may be subject to amendment.

Attacks

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many attacks on (a) pedestrians and (b) motorists which took place on the section of road between Belfast Central Station and Mountpottinger Corner, Belfast, have been reported to the Police Service of Northern Ireland in each of the last three years; and how many of the attacks are attributed to (i) Republican and (ii) Loyalist terrorist groups.

Ian Pearson: Attacks on pedestrians and motorists in this area are usually sectarian in nature. Statistics are not maintained on discrete areas of road and to provide this information would incur a disproportionate cost.

Bowel Cancer

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the merits of introducing screening for bowel cancer in the Province.

Angela Smith: In matters relating to the introduction of new screening programmes, all UK Health Ministers are advised by the National Screening Committee. As you may know the Secretary of State for Health, the hon. Member for Hamilton North and Bellshill, recently announced that a bowel cancer screening programme is to be rolled out in England from April 2006. This follows on pilots conducted in England and Scotland and the establishment of a bowel cancer screening working group. We will wish, of course, to have a similar programme here and the Department will now be considering this announcement, and the detailed information that fed into it, in order to determine how best to take matters forward here.

Budget 200508

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans his Department has for an equality impact assessment of the proposals in the Draft Priorities and Budget 200508 consultation document.

Ian Pearson: The Draft Priorities and Budget is set at a high strategic level, and because of this it does not lend itself to a full equality impact assessment. However, chapter 7 of the published document includes an equality, good relations and new targeting social need assessment and recommends that the document should be read in conjunction with major interdepartmental strategy documents. Equality, social need and good relations are key components of the work of individual departments within the budgetary process and each aspect is considered by departments in developing specific spending plans.

Capitation Review

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will include family health services funding in the Capitation Review of health spending in the Province.

Angela Smith: The Capitation Review process is applied to the allocation of resources for family health services but this work is reported and consulted on separately when appropriate. Family health services are essentially demand led but much of the funding is allocated through evidence based capitation formulae. General Medical Services funding is allocated to GPs mainly through the GP workload formula, developed on a UK-wide basis and tailored for Northern Ireland. A capitation based prescribing formula has also been developed in Northern Ireland for the allocation of prescribing resources. Some aspects of dental services are also covered by a capitation formula.

CCTV

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many CCTV cameras funded by the Northern Ireland Office have been installed in North Belfast since 2001; what the total cost has been; and if he will make a statement on their effectiveness.

Ian Pearson: There are currently 25 fixed CCTV cameras at 12 locations in North Belfast. The initial cost for 21 cameras funded through the Police Grant was 337,005. Disorder at the various interfaces has dropped dramatically since CCTV was introduced, but the reduction cannot be attributed solely to CCTV.

Children

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding he expects will be made available for the implementation of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister's children and young people's strategy over the next five years.

Ian Pearson: The draft children and young people's strategy is due to be launched for consultation on 22 November with views sought from all interested parties by 28 February 2005. Once this consultation process has been completed and its findings considered, Ministers will then be in a position to make informed decisions on any future funding implications.

Children

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what financial provision is being made for children's services within the Draft Priorities and Budget 2005 to 2008; and what percentage of the total budget (a) was spent in each year since 1999 and (b) will be spent in 2005 to 2008 on services for children.

Ian Pearson: Children's services cover a wide and varied range of activities undertaken across a number of departments. Further details on spending plans for a number of these activities can be found in the Draft Priorities and Budget 200508 document. It is not possible to clearly separate funding on services for children in budgets due to the diverse range of activities covered.

Children

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what impact he expects the spending plans detailed in the Draft Priorities and Budget 2005 to 2008 will have on (a) existing services and (b) new service development for (i) children, (ii) young people and (iii) families in need in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: The proposed spending plans detailed in the Draft Priorities and Budget 200508 would allow departments to maintain and develop a wide range of public services which would impact on the community as a whole including children, young people and families in need. The draft Public Service Agreements (PSAs), contained in the Draft Priorities and Budget 200508 document, set out the main departmental objectives, proposed budgets for the years 200508, planned citizen outcomes, key service channels and targets that departments are working to deliver. The PSAs will continue to be developed further and final versions will be set out in the Revised Priorities and Budget 200508 document which is due for publication in December 2004.

Children's Fund

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what funding the Children's Fund set up by the Northern Ireland Executive has received in each year since it was introduced; what provision is being made within the Draft Priorities and Budget 2005 to 2008 for future spending on the Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: The amounts allocated to the Children's Fund, from its establishment by the former Northern Ireland Executive up to the current year, are as follows:
	
		million
		
			  Amounts Allocated 
		
		
			 200102 4.0 
			 200203 13.0 
			 200304 15.0 
			 200405 12.0 
		
	
	The Draft Priorities and Budget provides for future spending, funded from the Children's Fund, by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety of 9.5 million and 5.4 million in 200506 and 200607 respectively.

Civil Service Pension

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether he plans to amend civil service pension arrangements to allow members of the pre-October 2002 Civil Service Pension Scheme a pension for life.

Ian Pearson: The Principal Civil Service Pension Scheme (Northern Ireland) already provides pre-2002 members with a pension for life following retirement. Once awarded this pension can only be withdrawn under the provisions of the forfeiture rules.
	The Scheme also provides pensions for the widows and widowers of pre-2002 members which are payable for life provided the surviving spouse does not remarry or live with another partner as husband and wife.
	All members of the pre-2002 Scheme who were in post at 30 September 2002 were given the option to move to the new pension arrangements which were introduced on 1 October 2002. The new arrangements provide life pensions for surviving spouses and qualifying partners as defined in the legislation.
	I have no plans to amend the position of pre-2002 Scheme members in either of these regards.

Commencement of Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Paul Murphy: It is not possible to answer the hon. Gentleman's question in the current parliamentary session.

Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to extend the provisions of the Commonhold and Leasehold Reform Act 2002 to Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary session.

Consultants

John Maples: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the contracts awarded by his Department to consultants in each of the last five years, stating in each case the (a) name of the consulting company, (b) value of the contract and (c) purpose for which the contract was awarded; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: Information about all consultancy contracts entered into by Departments in Northern Ireland is not held centrally and could only be obtained from individual Departments at disproportionate cost. Information on consultancy contracts awarded by the Central Procurement Directorate on behalf of Northern Ireland Departments is held by that Directorate in respect of the last three financial years only and a copy has been placed in the Library. The names of all companies awarded contracts are given but are not linked to individual awards as to do so would break confidentiality agreements.

Consumerline

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many inquiries Consumerline has dealt with since its inception; and what the average cost per inquiry is.

Barry Gardiner: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary Session.

Consumerline

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the (a) revenue and (b) capital costs of Consumerline were to 31 October.

Barry Gardiner: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary Session.

Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the 30 largest contracts awarded by his Department from (a) May 2001 to April 2002, (b) May 2002 to April 2003, (c) May 2003 to April 2004 and (d) May 2004 to the latest date for which information is available, indicating in each case (i) the values of the contracts and (ii) the companies with which the contracts were placed.

Ian Pearson: Over the last three years, Departments in Northern Ireland have awarded a large number of contracts, varying in value and covering a wide range of works, supplies and services. Details of every individual contract are not held centrally and the top 30 contracts could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, details of contracts of significant value (i.e. over l million) are outlined as follows.
	
		Contracts awarded by Northern Ireland Departments 
		
			 Contract description Contract value ( million 
		
		
			 May 2001 to April 2002  
			 Rathmore Grammar School, BelfastNew School 11.88 
			 Oakgrove Integrated College, LondonderryNew School 9.73 
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 7.96 
			 St. Paul's High School, Bessbrook, NewryPhase 1 Extension and Refurbishment 6.32 
			 St. Patrick's Primary School, LondonderryNew School 4.3 
			 Christ The Redeemer Primary School, BelfastNew School 3.33 
			 NICS Provision of Electricity for Office Estate Buildings. 3.00 
			 Legal services re energy legislation 2.37 
			 St. Patrick's Grammar School ArmaghExtension 1.87 
			 Refurbishment Portadown, Foyle and Ballymoney SSA's 1.65 
			 Refurbishment Portadown, Foyle and Magherafelt SSA's Electrical Services 1.5 
			 Refurbishment Newtownabbey, Knockbreda and Falls SSA's 1.5 
			 Provision of Accounting Services Programme 1.20 
			 Castle Buildings Refurbishment of Block D 1.14 
			 Provision of portable accommodation units 1.12 
			 Refurbishment Knockbreda and Newtownabbey SSA'sElectrical 1.10 
			 Refurbishment Portadown, Foyle and Magherafelt SSAs Mechanical Services 1.0 
			 Ballymacward Primary SchoolNew School 1.01 
			 Provision of 2 storey steel modular framed building 1.00 
			   
			 May 2002 to April 2003  
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 9.08 
			 New Bacteriology Lab 7.46 
			 NICS Motor Fleet Insurance 4.57 
			 External and Internal Refurbishment of Holywood Road SSA 3.69 
			 IBM Server Consolidation Project for Belfast City and Royal Group Hospitals 3.1 
			 St. Kevin's Primary School, BelfastNew School 2.93 
			 Refurbishment of SSA Offices Omagh and EnniskillenBuilding Works 2.58 
			 NICS Provision of Electricity for Office Estate Buildings 20032004 2.56 
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 2.44 
			 New Deal Provision (Part of Government Welfare to Work Policy) 2.3 
			 Refurb of Various SSA Offices Kilkeel, Shaftesbury Sq and Shankill RdBldg 2.01 
			 New Deal Provision (Part of Government Welfare to Work Policy 1.8 
			 Refurbishment of Government Offices Limavady and AntrimBuilding 1.72 
			 Refurb of SSA Offices Kilkeel, Shaftesbury Sq and Shankill RdBldg Services 1.70 
			 Medical Library support services 1.28 
			 Refurbishment of SSA Offices Omagh and EnniskillenElectrical Works 1.23 
			 Coleraine County Hall Additional Office Accommodation 1.02 
			 NIO Travel Services 1.00 
			   
			 May 2003 to April 2004  
			 Personal Health and Care Number ICT Project 26.00 
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 10.0l 
			 NICS Security Guarding Contract: 20032006 8.20 
			 Construction of VSD Laboratory Stoney Road 7.46 
			 St. Fanchea's College, EnniskillenNew School 7.00 
			 NICS Electricity for Office Estate Buildings 20042005 6.58 
			 St. Paul's High School, NewryPhase 2 Extension and Refurbishment. 5.64 
			 Refurbishment of Government Offices Coleraine and LarneBuilding 5.13 
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 4.66 
			 Meanscoil Feirste SchoolPhase 2 Extension and Refurbishment. 3.27 
			 James House Office Accommodation Phases 2 and 3 fit-out 3.20 
			 Causeway Exchange Office Accommodation fit-out 3.10 
			 Fit out of SSA Offices Banbridge and Armagh 3.00 
			 Thornhill College, LondonderryNew School 2.85 
			 Goodwood HouseOffice Accommodation fit-out 2.60 
			 Lighthouse BuildingOffice Accommodation fit-out 2.60 
			 Provision of allied Nursing Health Professional Education 2.57 
			 Jobskills Training for Electricians 2.40 
			 St. Clare's Primary School, BelfastNew School 2.37 
			 Jobskills Training in North East 2.10 
			 Worktrack provision (Temp Employment Programme) 1.90 
			 Refurbishment of Government Offices Limavady and AntrimElectrical 1.8 
			 Jobskills Training in Newry Area 1.70 
			 Jobskills Training in West Belfast 1.70 
			 Refurbishment of Government Offices Lurgan and CarrickfergusElectrical 1.62 
			 Jobskills Training in North West 1.50 
			 Worktrack provision (Temp Employment Programme) 1.50 
			 Worktrack provision (Temp Employment Programme) in May down area 1.50 
			 Loughview Integrated Primary School, Belfast 1.48 
			 Provision of Broadband services for Northern Ireland (10) 
			   
			 May 2004-October 2004.  
			 NICS Office Cleaning 20042007 14.00 
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 9.66 
			 Provision of Professional Nursing Education 5.37 
			 Provision of allied Nursing Professional Education. 3.13 
			 St. Ita's Primary School, CarryduffNew School 2.94 
			 NIO Air Charter Service 2.00 
			 NICS NI Public Sector Travel Management Services 2.00 
			 Medical Library Services 1.36 
		
	
	(10) Commercial in confidence contract sum
	Contractors/Suppliers awarded contracts by Northern Ireland Departments (Value 1 million plus)
	May 2001 to October 2004
	A Prentice
	Belfast Contract Cleaners
	BT Group
	Blackbourne Electrical Co. Ltd.
	Brendan Loughran  Sons
	Carlson Wagonlit Travel
	Checkmate Ltd.
	Citywide Action
	Cobra Security Ltd.
	Community Aid 2000
	David Patton  Sons (NI)
	Electrical Training Trust
	Energia
	Farrans
	FB McKee  Co Ltd.
	Felix O'Hare  Co Ltd.
	Galago Ltd.
	Gilbert-Ash NI Ltd.
	Glasgiven Contracts Ltd.
	Group 4 Securitas Ltd.
	Grove Services Group
	H  J Martin Ltd.
	IBM UK Ltd.
	Initial Cleaning Services
	Lisburn Security Services Ltd.
	Maybin Support Services
	Maydown Youth Training
	McAleer  Teague Ltd.
	McCann Bros'
	McCloskey  Kane Co. Ltd.
	McCombe Bros (Antrim) Ltd.
	McLaughlin  Harvey
	New Deal West
	North East Institute
	North West Institute
	O'Hanlon Bros' Construction Ltd.
	O'Hare  McGovern Ltd.
	Pattons
	Pegasus Security Group
	Precision Industrial Cleaning
	Property Support Services
	PriceWaterhousecoopers
	Queen's University Belfast
	Rotary Services Ltd.
	Securicor Security (NI) Ltd.
	Sharpe Mechanical Services
	Simmons  Simmons
	Springvale
	Steria Ltd.
	The McAvoy Group Ltd.
	University of Ulster
	Vaughan Engineering Services Ltd.
	Willis
	Woodvale Construction Ltd.

Criminal Justice Inspectorate

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Criminal Justice Inspectorate for Northern Ireland.

John Spellar: The Government supports the work of the Criminal Justice Inspection Northern Ireland and welcomed the first Annual Report which was published on 18 October 2004. Since taking up his post, the Chief Inspector, Kit Chivers, has consulted with HM Inspectorate of Constabulary, HM Inspectorate of Prisons, HM Crown Prosecution Service and the Social Services Inspectorate for Northern Ireland. The Chief Inspector has also explored links with HM Inspectorate of Probation and the Benefit Fraud Inspectorate. He has agreed with the partner Inspectors the principles by which they would work together and agreed the outlines of a future programme comprising inspections of individual agencies and cross-cutting thematic studies of aspects of the criminal justice system.

Crumlin Road Jail

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the future of Crumlin Road jail.

Ian Pearson: The North Belfast Community Action Unit, a Division of the Office of the First Minister and Deputy First Minister, has been taking forward work on the redevelopment of the Crumlin Road gaol. This has involved clearing the site, demolishing non-listed buildings, commissioning structural surveys and initial work on a programme of repair and restoration. The unit has also facilitated public visits and promoted the gaol as a location for film and TV productions.
	A planning review has been undertaken and consultants have been appointed to carry out a detailed technical study of the site.
	Informed by the technical studies, an integrated development plan will be commissioned to assess options and provide a concept and implementation plan for the site. Consideration is being given to an appropriate steering mechanism to guide the development plan process. We are committed to full consultation with a full range of interests in determining the best options for the development of the gaol.

Culture, Arts and Leisure

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent per capita on culture, arts and leisure in Northern Ireland in the last year for which figures are available.

Angela Smith: As set out in the audited Resource Accounts of the Department of Culture, Arts and Leisure for the year ended 31 March 2004, 96.6 million was expended by the Department during 200304, representing a per capita spend of 57.30 based on the population of 1.685 million recorded on Census day 2001.
	The hon. Gentleman will be aware that a range of cultural, arts and leisure activities or amenities are funded by various NI government departments, but it is not practical to identify an exhaustive list to provide an all-inclusive figure.

Departmental Property

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the properties occupied (a) by his Department and (b) by its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004, showing (A) each and (B) in aggregate (1) the area and (2) the annual rental value.

Ian Pearson: It is not possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary session.

Departmental Spending

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much has been spent by each Government Department in the Province on (a) consultations and reviews and (b) advertising in each year since April 1998.

Ian Pearson: Given the general nature of this question and the time period requested, the relevant information can only be provided at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Spending

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety spending in the last year on (a) EU programmes and (b) special initiatives.

Angela Smith: From April 2003 to date, the Department Of Health, Social Services and Public Safety has made available to projects 4,718,054 through PEACE II and 1,609,185 through INTERREG IIIA. Over the same period, it has paid grants to projects totalling 764,443 through Making Belfast Work and 359,430 through the Londonderry Regeneration Initiative.

Disability Living Allowance

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what research his Department has undertaken into the cost involved in removing the bar on disabled people over the age of 65 years claiming disability living allowance.

John Spellar: The social security system in Northern Ireland operates in parity with Great Britain.

Eastern Health Board

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans there are to (a) maintain and (b) develop facilities for in-service nursing education in the Eastern Health Board area; and if he will estimate the expected time frame involved.

Angela Smith: In-service nursing education within the Eastern Health Board Area is planned to continue. The Education Unit will, however, be relocating to new enhanced premises within Knockbracken Healthcare Park. The business case for the development of the new premises has been approved by the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety and it is anticipated that the new premises will be ready for occupation in August 2005.

Energy Efficiency

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the role of (a) fuel cost reduction and (b) income maximisation in energy efficiency.

Barry Gardiner: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary Session.

Enterprise Northern Ireland

Martin Smyth: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost was of Enterprise Northern Ireland's Strategic Development Programme carried out by PricewaterhouseCoopers (a) in total and (b) broken down by local enterprise agency involved in the exercise.

Barry Gardiner: The Government do not hold this information.

Equal Opportunities

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  how many (a) Catholics and (b) Protestants were employed in the (i) private and (ii) public sector in Northern Ireland in each of the last 30 years;
	(2)  how many (a) Catholics and (b) Protestants were employed in the (i) fire service, (ii) police service and (iii) civil service in Northern Ireland in each of the last 10 years; and what percentage of the working age population of each community each of these figures represents.

John Spellar: I have asked the Chief Executive of the Equality Commission for Northern Ireland to write to my hon. Friend. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what criteria are used to select couples for ICSI and other sub-fertility treatments in the Province; and whether the fact that a couple already have a child excludes them from such treatment.

Angela Smith: The interim sub-fertility service commenced on 17 December 2001, at the Royal Group of Hospitals. Access to public funded provision is regulated by the criteria recommended by an expert group. The criteria specify that to avail of the service:
	Couples should have no children living with them (this does not apply to stimulated intra-uterine inseminationSIUI);
	Couples should have had fewer than four previous unsuccessful treatment cycles;
	The woman should be under 38 (this does not apply to SIUI); and
	There has to be a medical reason for the sub-fertility, lasting for over three years.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the average waiting time from GP referral through to initial hospital assessment for those seeking sub-fertility treatment in the Province in the last year.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not collected centrally and could only be obtained at disproportionate cost.

Fertility Treatment

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many couples in the Province have received publicly-funded treatments for sub-fertility in the Province each year since December 2001; and what proportion of these procedures have proved successful.

Angela Smith: Publicly funded fertility services are provided at three levels: primary care level, secondary care level and tertiary care level. Specific fertility data is only available for patients treated at the tertiary care levelservices at this level are provided by the Regional Fertility Centre (RFC). Data in relation to the usage of services at primary and secondary care levels are included within general gynaecology data and are not available separately.
	The RFC has informed me that 433 patients received publicly funded fertility treatments in 200304, and to date 315 patients have been treated in 200405, the only periods for which detailed data are available.
	Details of the success of these procedures is collated in line with Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority (HFEA) requirements which do not stipulate that the rates for private and NHS patients should be monitored separately. The success rate, based on pregnancies achieved per embryo transfer for patients receiving in-vitro fertilization (IVF) and intra cytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) treatments for the 12-month period ending 30 June 2004 is in the range of 32 per cent. to 38 per cent. Success rates are subject to variation as the outcome of fertility treatment is dependent on many factors including age, the nature of the fertility problems and lifestyle factors.

Freedom of Information Act

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: No such estimate of the cost of compliance in advance of the legislation coming into effect has been made. The net cost will depend on the volume and complexity of requests for information, and on the arrangements for charging which will apply. The Department for Constitutional Affairs is developing these arrangements. However, measures have been taken to minimise costs, and to ensure preparedness, including the establishment of networks of practitioners, the implementation of extensive training and awareness programmes, and the development of appropriate systems and procedures, which are being tested for readiness.

Government Buildings (Accessibility)

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether all Government buildings in Northern Ireland are fully accessible to disabled people.

Ian Pearson: I can advise that 109 government buildings are fully accessible with work underway on a further 234 and another 34 are being assessed.
	984 have been identified as not requiring work at this time either because there is no public interface or disabled member of staff present; or for operational reasons e.g. agricultural buildings. These sites will be kept under review and necessary adjustments made, subject to available funding, if their circumstances change.

Haemophilia/Haematology

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how much was spent on (a) haemophilia and (b) haematology drugs in the Province in each of the last five years; and what the expected spending is over the next 12 months.

Angela Smith: We estimate that the total spend on treating persons with haemophilia in a hospital in-patient or day case environment in Northern Ireland was approximately 197,000 in 200203 and 79,000 in 200102. The bulk of services to haemophiliacs are, however, provided in an out-patient primary care or community environment.
	Blood products used by haemophiliacs are provided by the NI Blood Transfusion Service (NIBTS) and cost as follows:
	
		Total expenditure on haemophilia blood products
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200405 (predicted) 8.25 
			 200304 7.7 
			 200203 5.9 
			 200102 5.2 
			 200001 4.7 
			 19992000 4.0 
		
	
	The total spend on chemotherapy drugs in the haematology specialty was approximately in 1.341million 200203 and 1.64 million in 200304. 200405 has experienced expansion in demand to approximately 3.7million.
	Further information is not available.

Health Spending

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what account of regional service provision is taken in the Capitation Review of the Province's health spending.

Angela Smith: The purpose of the Capitation Formula is to allocate fairly the available resources for hospital, community health and personal social services to Health and Social Services Boards in Northern Ireland. From their total allocation, Boards are responsible for commissioning all types of services for the populations living in their areas. This includes regional services that may be provided by a facility in another Board's area. The Formula itself does not identify regional services separately but includes these within the total need for services experienced by a Board's population.

Hospital Deaths

John Hume: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the procedures are for (a) notification and (b) investigation of deaths in hospital which may have resulted from medical treatment; and at what stage the chief medical officer should be informed.

Angela Smith: All deaths that are not due to natural disease must be referred to the coroner. The coroner will investigate all such deaths, which will include circumstances such as:
	sudden or unexpected deaths;
	deaths where the cause of death is unknown or a doctor is unable to issue a medical certificate stating the cause of death (death certificate);
	all unnatural deaths (including accidents, suspected suicide or suspicious deaths);
	deaths thought to be due to negligence;
	deaths occurring during surgery or anaesthesia; and
	deaths from any cause other than natural disease.
	The coroner will decide on the need for a post mortem examination and subsequently if an inquest is required. The coroner's investigation is supported by the Police Service of Northern Ireland.
	A Safety in Health and Social Care Steering Group was established by my Department following the publication of the consultation document entitled Best Practice, Best Care in April 2001. In July it issued interim guidance (HSS (PPM) 06/04) to the HPSS and special agencies on the reporting and management of serious adverse incidents. This includes a requirement for all HPSS organisations and special agencies to have nominated a senior manager at board level who will have overall responsibility for the reporting and management of serious adverse incidents within the organisation. In addition, if the senior manager considers that the incident is likely to:
	be serious enough to warrant regional action to improve safety or care within the broader HPSS;
	be of public concern; or
	require an independent review,
	then he/she is required to provide the Department with a brief report within 72 hours of the incident being discovered. These reports are shared with the chief medical officer and other professional and administrative staff as appropriate.
	Furthermore, my Department has also established a multi-agency group comprising departmental officials and representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the coroner service to develop a memorandum of understanding for the investigation of death and serious incidents in hospitals. This will take account of a recent memorandum of understanding issued for consultation in England and Wales: Investigating patient safety incidents (unexpected death or serious untoward harm): a protocol for liaison and effective communications between the NHS, Association of Chief Police Officers and HSE.

Housing

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many new housing starts there have been in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland in each year since 1997.

John Spellar: The information is as follows:
	
		Number of houses
		
			  Northern Ireland North Belfast 
		
		
			 199798 2,160 218 
			 199899 2,297 210 
			 19992000 1,820 325 
			 200001 1,127 105 
			 200102 1,030 200 
			 200203 900 254 
			 200304 1,526 315

Iatrogenic Deaths

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the number of iatrogenic deaths in the Province in each of the last five years.

Angela Smith: Information is not collected in a form that would enable such an estimate to be made.

Illegal Drugs

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what quantity of illegal drugs has been seized during 2004 in Northern Ireland, broken down by police region; and what the approximate street value was.

Ian Pearson: The amounts and estimated street values of illicit drugs seized by the Police Service of Northern Ireland from 1 January 2004 to 31 October 2004 in urban and rural region are detailed in the following table.
	
		Amounts and estimated street values of illicit drugs seized by PSNI1 January to 31 October 2004
		
			 Drugs seized Region Value () Total street value () 
		
		
			   Urban Rural   
			 Cocaine Powder (gms) 16,211.83 472.65 80/gm 1,334,758.40 
			  Wraps 0 0 40/wrap 0 
			 Crack cocaine (gms) 5.00 0 150/gm 750.00 
			 Ecstasy Tablets 113,795 18,202 5/tablet 659,985.00 
			  Powder (gms) 55.1 1.00 37.50/gm 2,103.75 
			  Capsules 0 0 12.50/capsule 0 
			 LSD Doses 28 0 5/dose 140.00 
			  Microdots 6 0 4/microdot 24.00 
			 Opiates Powder (gms) 0.01 3.63 100/gm 364.00 
			  Tablets 7 17 12/gm 288.00 
			  Ampoules 20 0 45/ampoule 900.00 
			  M1s 0.01 251.11 45/ml 11,300.40 
			  Wraps 0 1 40/wrap 40.00 
			 Amphetamine Powder (gms) 22,742.03 14,296.67 10/gm 370,387.00 
			  Tablets 0 32 5/tablet 160.00 
			  Wraps 4 0 10/wrap 40.00 
			 Cannabis Resin (gms) 676,404.22 435,985.54 5/gm 5,561,948.50 
			  Herbal (gms) 3,544.42 1,428.62 10/gm 49,730.40 
			  Plants 517 427 600/plant 566,400.00 
			  Joints 48 117 2.50/joint 412.50 
			 Street value of drugs seized 1 January to 31 October 20048,559,731.95

Invest NI

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will list the contractual relationships with third party organisations which Invest NI inherited on its formation in 2002; what funds were allocated to each body; and what the nature was of the activities conducted by each organisation.

Barry Gardiner: On its formation in April 2002, Invest NI inherited 90 existing relationships with third party organisations.
	Details of these organisations, the nature of the activities conducted and the funding allocated in each case is contained in the following table.
	
		
		
			 Third party organisation Nature of activity Value of each contract 
		
		
			 Abacus Partnership EU Networking Programme 117,000 
			 Acorn The Business Centre Pilot E-Learning Initiative 41,125 
			 Antrim Enterprise Agency Ltd Business Development Programme 108,687 
			 Arena Network Business Environmental Engagement Reviews 118,000 
			 Arena Network NI Environmental Management Survey 30,000 
			 ASPIRE Micro-Loans for Small Businesses 650,000 
			 Ballymena Business Centre Women's Enterprise Programme 100,227 
			 BDO Stoy Hayward Training for IMPACT programme 1,750 
			 Beckinridge Training for IMPACT programme 5,750 
			 Business in the Community Business solutions for companies 60,000 
			 Business Innovation Link Ltd. Pre-start support for individuals with innovative products or processes 580,115 
			 Carrickfergus Enterprise Agency Ltd. Business Support Programme 21,170 
			 Centre for Competitiveness Foresight Programme 252,000 
			 Centre for Competitiveness Business Improvement Services 85,000 
			 Craigavon Industrial Development Organisation Enterprise Programme 7,050 
			 Clarendon Consultants Local communications programme 19,395 
			 Cookstown Enterprise Centre Ltd. Food from the West Programme 55,250 
			 Crafts Council of Ireland e-commerce initiative 7,786 
			 Defence Diversification Agency Business research facility 120,000 
			 Deirdre Fitzpatrick and Associates Skills programme 8,724 
			 Design Services Design awareness, advice and capability for businesses 388,000 
			 Dungannon Enterprise Centre Ltd. Innovation in Practice 42,500 
			 Dungannon Enterprise Centre Ltd. Best Practice programme 38,250 
			 East Belfast Enterprise Park Enterprising Belfast 53,887 
			 EBT Venture Fund Ltd. Venture Capital Fund 250,000 
			 Edge Innovative Learning Export market promotion 261,350 
			 Edge Innovative Learning Export market promotion 574,000 
			 Emerging Business Trust Small business loan fund 500,000 
			 Emerging Business Trust Small business loan fund 250,000 
			 Enterprise NI Support to locally focused business starts 3,900,000 
			 Enterprise NI Loan Fund Loans for local small businesses 75,000 
			 Enterprise North West/ Workspace Development of local active client base 36,131 
			 Envision Training for IMPACT programme 5,700 
			 Fermanagh Enterprise Ltd. Rural Support Programme 59,250 
			 Fermanagh Enterprise Ltd. Fermanagh Business Growth Programme 25,000 
			 Flying Colours Women's Enterprise Initiative 1,057 
			 Glenwood Business Centre Tendering Programme 17,096 
			 Gloria Gilfillan Training Women On The Move 2,937 
			 Graham Associates Software Sector Advisory Services 140,000 
			 Hambro Northern Ireland Ventures Ltd. Partnership Venture Capital Fund 7,000,000 
			 Helm Corporation Management of International Tender Fund, providing funding to encourage companies to bid for business outside the EU 18,598 
			 Industrial Society/Work Foundation Competitiveness Assessment/Improvement Programme Services 8,500 
			 Into the West Encourage entrepreneurs to set up new ventures West of the Bann 197,000 
			 Investment Belfast Local Enterprise Development Unit/ Northern Ireland Centre For Entrepreneurship Award Promotion 10,575 
			 Investment Belfast 20K Awards 20,000 
			 Iona Rodgers Training for IMPACT programme 2,100 
			 Ken Morrison Consulting Competitiveness Assessment/Improvement Programme Services 3,000 
			 KPMG Competitiveness Assessment/Improvement Programme Services 40,000 
			 Lake Consulting Competitiveness Assessment/Improvement Programme Services 12,000 
			 LEDCOM Fresh Start Enterprise Programme 11,045 
			 LEDCOM Carolinas Northern Ireland Trade Association (CANITA) 58,750 
			 Lisburn borough council Enterprise Awareness Company Development Programme 29,147 
			 Lisburn Enterprise Organisation Home Start Preparation 1,539 
			 Manufacturing Technology Partnership (MTP) Ltd. Radian Promotion 44,700 
			 Manufacturing Technology Partnership (MTP) Ltd. Competitiveness Assessment/Improvement Programme Services 4,000 
			 Momentum Information Communications and Technology Sector Body 242,500 
			 Newbridge Management Group Workshop training and company mentoring 979,875 
			 Newbridge Management Group Workshop training and company mentoring 180,000 
			 New Directions Regional Action Plan 245,003 
			 Northern Ireland Food and Drink Association Food Programme 300,000 
			 Northern Ireland Technology Centre, Queens University Belfast (Institute of Lifelong Learning) Conformance Europe Marking Programme 47,360 
			 Noribic Business Process Re- engineering Programme 13,000 
			 Noribic Innovation West Technology Assisted Growth Scheme 29,950 
			 North Down borough council Signal Business Village, an economic development partnership 25,000 
			 Omagh Enterprise Company Ltd. Business Growth Programme 30,000 
			 Omagh Enterprise Company Ltd. Women's Enterprise Development 68,000 
			 ORTUS Enterprise Programme 26,997 
			 Parity Solutions Ltd. Profit Improvement Programme 399,191 
			 Prince's Trust Loans and grants to young people starting a business 1,645,000 
			 Price WaterhouseCoopers Profits through People Programme 356,280 
			 Price WaterhouseCoopers Competitiveness Assessment/Improvement Programme Services 3,500 
			 Price WaterhouseCoopers Finance Programme 611,575 
			 QLabs Competitiveness Assessment/ Improvement Programme Services 13,000 
			 RFM Training for IMPACT programme 3,370 
			 Robert Hayes McCoy Training for IMPACT programme 1,450 
			 Strabane Enterprise Agency Youth Education and Enterprise 34,000 
			 Synergy EBusiness Incubator Business Design Services 5,076 
			 The Carbon Trust Energy programmes 1,377,000 
			 TPB Consulting Sales Programme 12,672 
			 TPB Consulting Ltd Delivery of Aim Sales Programme 22,880 
			 Transformix Software Sector Advisory Services 140,000 
			 Ulster Community Investment Trust Community Business Loan Fund 750,000 
			 Ulster Community Investment Trust Community Business Loan Fund 1,000,000 
			 Ulster Community Investment Trust Community Business Loan Fund 2,250,000 
			 Venture International Training for IMPACT programme 570 
			 Vision Consulting Ltd. eBusiness Programme 858,915 
			 Wastechange Provision of internet-based Waste Exchange for NI Small, Medium Enterprises 22,000 
			 West Belfast Partnership Board Information Communications and Technology Officer post 27,000 
			 Workspace (Draperstown) Ltd. Provision of services to Invest NI's North West Local Office 17,850 
			 Work West Enterprising Belfast 34,200 
			 Young Enterprise NI Business education programmes in schools 615,000 
			 Total  28,858,355

Invest NI

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by Invest Northern Ireland towards meeting its job creation target for the current financial year.

Barry Gardiner: Actual job creation is achieved through businesses employing more people and for this reason, Invest NI's Corporate Plan 200205 and its Public Service Agreement targets do not include specific job creation targets. There are, however, targets for a range of other objectives, including the number of new business starts, business development projects, and new inward investment projects secured.
	Not all investments involve potential new jobs, but where they do, Invest NI practice is to refer to jobs promoted as such job numbers can be quantified at the negotiation stage as being an anticipated requirement of the project. Since negotiations with companies are ongoing throughout the year, it is not Invest NI's practice to report progress on an in-year basis although comprehensive performance figures are provided at the end of each financial year. However, in relation specifically to those projects which have been publicly announced during the year to date, 311 new jobs have been promoted, representing total investment of over 4 million.

Inward Investors (Limavady)

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made in attracting inward investors to the Limavady area in Northern Ireland in the last 12 months.

Barry Gardiner: I refer the hon. Gentleman to earlier answers I provided to him on 12 October 2004, Official Report, column 232W, 16 June 2004, Official Report, column 965W, 8 June 2004, Official Report, column 349W and 28 April 2004, Official Report, column 1128W on this and closely-related subjects.
	Invest NI continues to focus its sales and marketing efforts on aggressively promoting Northern Ireland as an attractive and viable location for inward investment opportunities. It is difficult to predict in advance the nature of new projects and the needs of those promoting such projects, but the type of projects likely to locate in the north west will tend to be from those sectors where there are obvious clusters and strengths, such as ICT and call centres.
	Working with existing overseas investors in a region is a key function of Invest NI, and I am encouraged by the reinvestment earlier this year at Limavady by Huco Lightronic of Germany, promoting an additional 24 jobs.
	Invest NI has a target of 150 inward visits by potential investors during the current financial year ending 31 March 2005. While Invest NI encourages project promoters to visit as many potential locations as possible in all council areas of Northern Ireland, each visit programme is designed to meet investor requirements. When appropriate, the Limavady area will be included.

Job Creation

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many jobs have been created in (a) North Belfast and (b) Northern Ireland as a result of public investment in each year since 1997.

Barry Gardiner: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary Session.

Killyleagh Wall

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will institute a public inquiry into the construction of a 45-foot gabion wall at Strangford View in Killyleagh; and if he will make a statement.

Angela Smith: It has not been possible to the answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary Session.

Life Sentences

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to bring the tariffs for life sentences in Northern Ireland into line with England and Wales.

John Spellar: Tariff setting in a life sentence case is, of course, a matter for the judge hearing the individual case. Earlier this year, the Government carried out a public consultation on minimum terms in mandatory life sentence cases. The purpose of the consultation was to ascertain views on the possible application to Northern Ireland of equivalent life sentence provisions contained in the Criminal Justice Act 2003. The public consultation has concluded and the responses are currently being considered. I hope to publish the Government's response shortly.

Medical Students

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland pursuant to the answer of 3 November 2004, Official Report, column 337W, on medical schools, how many students commenced medical school at Queen's University this year; and what plans there are to change the entry number in future years.

Barry Gardiner: For the 200405 academic year, 187 students have been awarded places for admission to the medical school at Queen's University, Belfast.
	In recognition of the urgent need to increase the number of doctors in Northern Ireland the Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety intend to increase the annual intake of medical students to 250.

Ministerial Responsibilities

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the work of the Under-Secretary of State, the hon. Member for Basildon (Angela Smith), with regard to her responsibilities for victims and reconciliation.

Angela Smith: In my role as Victims' Minister, I aim to put in place a strategy that gives victims and survivors of the troubles recognition, acknowledgement and, where appropriate, the necessary help and practical support to rebuild their lives. To do this, it was important that I heard directly from those who have been adversely affected what their needs are.
	Over the past year I have been consulting with victims and survivors and their representative groups and have recently issued to them a summary of the views I gathered. My next step will be to draw up proposals for improvements in the arrangements for the planning, co-ordination and delivery of the services provided to victims to help address the problems they face.
	During this consultation process, many views were expressed to me on the matter of dealing with the past. These views, which I have shared with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, will help inform the work he is doing in this area.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Paul Murphy: The Ministers' private offices incurred the following running costs:
	
		
		
			  Cost 
		
		
			 199798 208,545 
			 199899 317,405 
			 19992000 338,823 
			 200001 290,802 
			 200102 307,902 
			 200203 768,677 
			 200304 484,434 
			 200405 (11)188,857 
		
	
	(11) Up to and including September 2004.

Mobile Phones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Ian Pearson: As the information requested by the hon. Member has to be obtained from the 11 Departments of the Northern Ireland administration and the Northern Ireland Office and is not yet fully available, it has not been possible to answer this question in this parliamentary Session.

MOT Certificates

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions in each year since 2000 the lack of an MOT certificate has been detected, broken down by district command unit.

Ian Pearson: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Lady's question in this parliamentary session.

MOT/Driving Tests

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) MOT tests and (b) driving tests were (i) cancelled and (ii) rescheduled as a result of strike action by civil servants in Northern Ireland; how many of these tests have been cancelled or rescheduled since the resolution of the pay dispute; and what steps he is taking to return these services to their pre-strike levels.

Angela Smith: The Driver and Vehicle Testing Agency cancelled 67,737 vehicle tests and 9,721 practical driving tests as a result of industrial action from 17 May to 11 August 2004. All of these tests were subsequently rescheduled. No tests have been cancelled or rescheduled by the agency as a direct result of industrial action since the end of the pay dispute.
	The agency is working to restore normal services as soon as possible. Steps being taken include: the recruitment of additional staff, operational from 1 November 2004; the introduction from 1 October of a more efficient booking programme; and additional overtime working. Certificates of temporary exemption are being issued for most vehicle test categories where appointments cannot be offered within 21 days. These allow vehicles to be taxed and driven legally on the road until they can be tested.

Mountpottinger Police Station

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions missiles or explosive devices have been thrown (a) at the perimeter fence and (b) into the yard of Mountpottinger police station in each of the past 12 months; and whether the Police Service of Northern Ireland has discovered similarities between these devices and devices discovered in or believed to have been thrown over the interfaces between the Short Strand area and the adjacent streets of Cluan Place, Susan Street, Tower Street, Duke Street and Beechfield School.

Ian Pearson: It has only been possible to provide the following information in the time available.
	
		Incidents of missiles thrownNovember 2003 to4 November 2004
		
			 Location of incident Explosive devices thrown Missiles thrown 
		
		
			 Mountpottinger PSNI Station  7 
			 Cluan Place  10 
			 Susan Street   
			 Tower Street   
			 Duke Street  2 
			 Beechfield Street  3

MRI

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to amend the procedures for recording the numbers of those waiting for MRI scans in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: There is currently no regular information collection system in place to ascertain the number of people waiting for MRI scans. My officials are considering a number of avenues to identify the most efficient and effective way of collecting this information.

MRSA

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will assess the merits of instituting a MRSA helpline in the Province.

Angela Smith: It is not considered that there is a particular need for an MRSA helpline. There are in the province some 30 Trust Infection Control Nurses and five Health Board Consultants in Communicable Disease Control who are available to advise patients and their relatives and concerned individuals in the community on the matter. The Department has published and distributed an information leaflet for patients, and guidelines for residential and nursing home staff for management of residents with MRSA.

MRSA

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what advice his Department provides to nasal carriers of MRSA regarding participation in activities which involve contact with other members of the community.

Angela Smith: The Department of Health, Social Services and Public Safety makes available an MRSA Patient Information Leaflet, which was recently reprinted. It is suitable for anyone with MRSA colonisation or infection, whether nasal or otherwise and those who come into contact with them. It advises on basic hygiene precautions, including hand washing. No barrier to activities involving contact with others is suggested although where people are providing personal care to a patient with MRSA it is also suggested that it would be prudent to wear gloves and aprons.

MRSA

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what estimate he has made of the proportion of the Province's population who are nasal carriers of MRSA; and what assessment has been made of the potential spread of MRSA from those who are nasal carriers.

Angela Smith: Routine surveillance of the nasal carriage of MRSA is not undertaken in the Northern Ireland health service so it is not possible to provide figures on the proportion of the population in hospital or the community who may be carriers of MRSA.

O'Hara Inquiry

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  whether families involved in the inquiry into child deaths headed by John O'Hara QC will be entitled to legal aid for representation;
	(2)  if his Department will provide contacts for the families involved in the O'Hara child deaths inquiry similar to the family liaison officers appointed by the Police Service of Northern Ireland as part of their ongoing investigation.

Angela Smith: Officials are currently finalising the detailed arrangements for the conduct of the Inquiry with Mr. John O'Hara QC, and I hope to make an announcement shortly. These arrangements will take account of Cabinet Office guidance on inquiries and a copy of the Terms of Reference will be placed in the House Library.

Omagh Bomb

David Lidington: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what representations he has made to the Government of the Irish Republic about the request by families of the Omagh bomb victims for the Garda Siochana to release DNA samples.

Paul Murphy: I cannot comment on matters relating to ongoing investigations. However, I have asked the PSNI to write to the right hon. Gentleman if there is any information they can provide in relation to this matter.

Orange Parade

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the title and purpose was of the parade organised by the No. 6 District Loyal Orange Lodge in East Belfast on or about 1 July.

Ian Pearson: As set out on the 11/1 form, the name of the organising body was Ballymacarrett District LOL No 6 and the notified purpose of the parade was Annual Somme Anniversary Parade.

Orange Parade

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the estimated number was of (a) participants and (b) spectators at the parade organised by the No. 6 District Loyal Orange Lodge in East Belfast on 1 July; and what the estimated benefit to the local economy from this parade was.

Ian Pearson: Thirty-four bands accompanied by approximately 3,000 members of the Orange Order participated in the parade and there were approximately 15,000 spectators. The Department of Enterprise, Trade and Investment is unable to comment on the estimated benefit to the local economy.

Orange Parade

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requirements the organisers of the parade organised by the No.6 District Loyal Orange Lodge in East Belfast on 1 July are required to meet.

Ian Pearson: Both the organiser and those participating in the parade must comply with the requirements of the law. In respect of this parade, the applicable law is the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998 and in particular the requirements of the Code of Conduct, an instrument of that Act, together with the terms of the determination which the Parades Commission issued in respect of this parade.

Orange Parade

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what requirements the organisers of a protest or counter-demonstration to the annual parade by the No. 6 District Loyal Orange Lodge in East Belfast on 1 July were required to meet; and what steps are taken to ensure that video recordings taken by protestors are not used for illegal purposes.

Ian Pearson: Those organising a protest to a parade must comply with Section 7 of the Public Processions (NI) Act 1998. No police action is taken in respect of video recordings taken by protestors. It is not an offence to take video recordings.

Orange Parade

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many calls were made to the (a) police, (b) fire brigade and (c) ambulance services from the Short Strand area of East Belfast (i) in the seven days before, (ii) in the seven days after and (iii) during this year's parade by the No. 6 District LOL in East Belfast on 1 July.

Ian Pearson: There are approximately 13,000 calls to the police per month. To compile the information requested would require personnel listening to tapes of some 6,000 calls for the period in question to filter out those specifically from the Short Strand area. To provide the information which you request would incur a disproportionate cost.

Paramilitaries

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many (a) punishment beatings and (b) exclusions there have been in each year since the signing of the Belfast Agreement.

Ian Pearson: Information on paramilitary assaults and shootings is detailed in the following table. No official figures on the number of people exiled from Northern Ireland as a result of paramilitary intimidation are available as not all incidents are reported.
	
		
			  Number of casualties as a result of paramilitary style assaults Number of casualties as a result of paramilitary style shootings 
		
		
			 1998 (10 April-31 Dec) 111 47 
			 1999 134 73 
			 2000 132 136 
			 2001 146 186 
			 2002 139 173 
			 2003 149 156 
			 2004 (1 Jan-31 Oct) 98 105 
		
	
	2004 statistics are provisional and may be subject to minor amendment.

Parking Tickets

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many parking tickets have been issued in each district command unit area in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000.

Ian Pearson: The information is set out in the table.
	
		Fixed Penalty Notices issued in respect of parking offences
		
			 DCU 2001 2002 2003 2004 (to 11 November 2004) 
		
		
			 Antrim 739 621 865 302 
			 Armagh 466 642 1,201 857 
			 Ballymena 1,489 1,243 1,097 1,447 
			 Ballymoney 607 673 434 57 
			 Banbridge 200 224 594 703 
			 Belfast East 357 846 1,566 1,506 
			 Belfast North 239 306 679 970 
			 Belfast South 20,040 27,238 24,524 23,187 
			 Belfast West 207 956 1,333 765 
			 Carrickfergus 153 114 162 170 
			 Castlereagh 206 356 530 453 
			 Coleraine 877 1,236 698 438 
			 Cookstown 354 248 376 300 
			 Craigavon 904 1,428 1,744 899 
			 Down 366 353 1,095 690 
			 Dungannon 723 743 1,017 904 
			 Fermanagh 801 897 1,213 1,226 
			 Foyle 4,924 4,966 5,254 5,028 
			 Larne 142 232 149 145 
			 Limavady 64 133 124 49 
			 Lisburn 3,066 2,887 3,489 3,053 
			 Magherafelt 306 502 419 502 
			 Moyle 0 90 200 267 
			 Newry and Mourne 755 1,821 1,613 1,344 
			 Newtownabbey 153 284 1,114 737 
			 Newtownards 604 861 1,259 946 
			 North Down 686 1,131 1,114 1,176 
			 Omagh 822 1,209 912 1,214 
			 Strabane 588 303 322 330 
		
	
	It is not possible to provide information for the 2000 as the District Command Unit structure was not established until 2001. Figures for Belfast South DCU are higher as it covers the main retail areas of Belfast City Centre.

Passive Smoking

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what information he collects regarding the number of people each year in the Province whose death is partly or wholly attributable to passive smoking.

Ian Pearson: It is not possible to give figures on the number of deaths partly or wholly attributable to passive smoking from routinely collected mortality data.

Patient Death Investigations

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what steps he plans to take to ensure that concerns raised by doctors regarding the deaths of patients are investigated.

Angela Smith: A Safety in Health and Social Care Steering Group established by the Department issued interim guidance (HSS (PPM) 06/04) to the HPSS and special agencies in July 2004 on the reporting and management of serious adverse incidents, including the death of patients.
	The Department has also established a multi-agency group comprising departmental officials and representatives from the Police Service of Northern Ireland, the Health and Safety Executive (HSE), and the coroner service to develop a memorandum of understanding for the investigation of death and serious incidents in hospitals. This will take account of a recent memorandum of understanding issued for consultation in England and Wales: Investigating patient safety incidents (unexpected death or serious untoward harm): a protocol for liaison and effective communications between the NHS, Association of Chief Police Officers and HSE.Work is also under way to reform the coroner and death certification service in Northern Ireland.

Police Ombudsman

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many investigations carried out by the Police Ombudsman for Northern Ireland have resulted in (a) successful prosecutions and (b) disciplinary charges being brought in each year of its operation.

Ian Pearson: The Police Ombudsman has advised that as a result of her investigations:
	(a) 28 recommendations have been made to the DPP for prosecution since 6 November 2000. DPP has directed prosecutions in 13 cases, no prosecutions in 10 cases and five cases await direction. DPP also directed prosecutions in three cases where Ombudsman had not recommended prosecution. Arising from those cases which have been through the courts there have been four convictions, all in 2004.
	(b) the following disciplinary matters have been referred to the Chief Constable:
	
		
			  Formal Informal(12) 
		
		
			 Nov 2000 to March 2001 nil nil 
			 April 2001 to March 2002 2 5 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 8 37 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 16 95 
			 April 2004 to date 2 7 
		
	
	(12) refers to disciplinary processes such as Superintendent's warning, advice and guidance to be given, or procedural issues to be addressed.

Police Service of Northern Ireland

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a Police Service of Northern Ireland officer holds the post of wildlife officer.

Ian Pearson: The post of Wildlife Liaison Officer was trawled within the Police Service of Northern Ireland, but none of the applicants was found suitable. As an interim measure, an officer within the Operational support Department has been appointed temporarily to carry out the functions of the Wildlife Liaison Officer.
	The post will be re-advertised within the Police Service of Northern Ireland in the near future.

Police Station Security

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland which police stations in Northern Ireland are due to have fortifications removed in the next 12 months; and if he will make a statement.

Ian Pearson: It is planned that the following stations will be subject to softening works during the next 12 months :
	Castlereagh
	Holywood
	Strandtown
	Grosvenor Road
	Comber
	Magherafelt
	Cookstown
	Portglenone
	Aughnacloy
	Carrickfergus
	Dungannon
	Newtownabbey
	Randalstown
	Tennent Street
	Newcastle
	Strabane
	Tandragee
	Donemana
	Banbridge
	Portaferry
	Dromore
	York Road
	Cushendall
	Maghera

Policing

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what overlap there is between the work of the district policing partnerships and that of the community safety partnerships.

Ian Pearson: The Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2000 as amended by the Police (Northern Ireland) Act 2003 sets out the statutory basis for the establishment and functions of district policing partnerships.
	Section 71 of the Justice (Northern Ireland) Act 2002 makes provision for the establishment of a community safety strategy. The NIO Community Safety Strategy launched in 2003 recommended the formation of community safety partnerships in each district council area. Their main purpose is to bring together, at a local level, statutory bodies, service providers, voluntary and community organisations and public representatives with the aim of combining resources and views to enhance community safety in their districts.
	The functions and membership of CSPs and DPPs therefore differ significantly, and their relationship is complementary rather than overlapping. The Government see no case for change at present. However, both partnership groupings are still at a relatively early stage of their development. The Northern Ireland Policing Board is currently undertaking a review of district policing partnerships, and community safety partnerships will also be subject to evaluation next year. The results of those reviews will of course be fully considered.

Racism

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the involvement of paramilitary organisations in racist attacks in Northern Ireland.

Ian Pearson: Individual members and localised groupings affiliated to Loyalist paramilitary groups are believed to have been involved in attacks against ethnic minorities. However, these attacks do not appear to have been sanctioned by the leaderships of Loyalist paramilitary organisations.

Restorative Justice

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress has been made by the Northern Ireland Office towards completion of protocols governing restorative justice schemes; and if he will make a statement.

John Spellar: Government are continuing to work with criminal justice agencies in developing guidelines for the operation of schemes in dealing with low level crime, in line with the recommendations in the criminal justice review. This work is at an advanced stage.
	Government recognise that schemes can have a part to play in helping to secure a normal society. As a condition for this, schemes need to work actively to uphold the human rights of all, be prepared to work with statutory agencies including the police, be willing to be accredited and to adhere to standards in all key areas.

Smoke Alarms

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many deaths have been caused by fire in Northern Ireland in 2004; and in how many instances (a) no smoke alarm being fitted and (b) a faulty or non-working smoke alarm was a contributory factor.

Angela Smith: In the year to date (to 15 November 2004) there have been a total of 11 fire deaths in dwellings. Eight of these deaths have been deemed to be accidental. The cause of the remaining three is currently under investigation. Of the 11 dwelling fires, a total of six were fitted with a working smoke alarm. There was no functioning smoke alarm in the remaining five.

Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on the current (a) status and (b) role of the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Paul Murphy: The Office of the Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly has been vacant since the retirement of Lord Alderdice earlier this year. Any functions required to be exercised by the Speaker under the Northern Ireland Act 1998 may, in his absence, be exercised by a Deputy Speaker.

Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland whether a special adviser is assigned to the Office of Speaker of the Northern Ireland Assembly.

Paul Murphy: An adviser, recruited as a full time member of Assembly staff is still assigned to the Office of the Speaker. He is currently carrying out work for other public sector organisations.

Special Needs

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will make a statement on nursing provision in schools for children with special needs in the Province.

Angela Smith: Various arrangements are in place to provide nursing support in schools for children with special educational needs. School health services co-ordinate the health surveillance programme provided to school children. Community children's nursing and learning disability nursing also provide support to children, their families and school staff to enable individual needs to be met during the school day. In some instances, nurses are based within the special schools whereas in other cases nurses provide support through school visits.
	An interdepartmental group for children with special needs has been established between the Departments of Health and Education. This group plans to review the outcome of the project assessing the health and care needs of children attending school, which was undertaken by the southern education and library board in collaboration with the southern health and social services board.

Stormont

David Burnside: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the cost has been of the Stormont Assembly in the last two years; and what the expected cost is in the next year if the Assembly does not sit and the Executive is not operational.

Paul Murphy: The cost of maintaining the Northern Ireland Assembly since suspension in October 2002 until 31 October this year has been 49.6 million. This comprises 21.6 million for costs relating to Members and political parties; 18.5 million for costs relating to Assembly secretariat wages; and 9.5 million for property, accommodation and business services costs.
	Expected costs in the next year will be determined in light of the outcome of current political discussions aimed at securing a lasting settlement and restoration of the institutions.

Surveillance

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland how many authorisations he has given for intercepting (a) mail and (b) telephone calls of (i) members of the public and (ii) hon. Members in the past year.

Ian Pearson: It is Government policy not to comment on intelligence matters and to neither confirm nor deny the existence of any covert operations.

Sustainable Energy

Eddie McGrady: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what discussions the Department of the Environment has had with the Energy Saving Trust on the establishment of a sustainable energy pilot centre in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Gentleman's question in this parliamentary session.

Tax Discs

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland on how many occasions in each year since 2000 the non-display of vehicle tax discs has been detected, broken down by district command unit.

Angela Smith: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Gentleman's question in this parliamentary session.

Terrorist Victims

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to meet locally elected representatives to discuss the problems facing victims of terrorism.

Angela Smith: I have been consulting with victims and survivors and their representative groups and have recently issued to them a summary of the views I gathered. My next step will be to draw up proposals for improvements in the arrangements for the planning, co-ordination and delivery of the services provided to victims to help address the problems they face. At the appropriate time I will consult with the locally elected representatives.
	During this consultation process, many views were expressed to me on the matter of dealing with the past. These views, which I shared with my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, will help inform the work he is doing in this area.

Traffic Wardens

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Chief Constable of the Police Service of Northern Ireland about the future role of traffic wardens in Northern Ireland; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many traffic wardens have been recruited in Northern Ireland in each year since 2000; and if he will make a statement on the recruitment policy for traffic wardens.

Ian Pearson: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Lady's questions in this parliamentary session.

Victoria Square, Belfast

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what progress is being made on redeveloping Victoria Square, Belfast.

John Spellar: The redevelopment of Victoria Square by AM Development is well under way. Another major step will be taken on 21 November 2004, when Churchill House, the former headquarters of the Department for Social Development is demolished in a controlled explosion. The 17-storey office block is the last building left on the site and its clearance means that major construction can begin. The new retail-led development is expected to open in 2007.

Walk-in Centre

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to establish a new NHS walk-in centre in the Province.

Angela Smith: The functions of NHS walk-in Centres, as established in Great Britain, will be provided in Northern Ireland by health and care centres, which bring together a range of primary and community-based care services into a 'one stop shop', and local hospitals, as defined in Developing Better Services. Work is currently in progress on the building of two of these centres in Belfast. Plans for a network of similar centres across Northern Ireland are currently being developed by HSS boards and trusts.

Waste Directives

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what assessment he has made of the change in costs to Northern Ireland's farming industry as a result of the implementation of recent EU environmental and waste control directives.

Angela Smith: A mandatory part of the consultation process for the implementation of European Directives in the UK is the preparation of Regulatory Impact Assessments (RIAs) setting out the costs and benefits of implementation. RIAs are published as an integral part of consultation papers. All consultation papers produced by the Department of the Environment on the implementation of EU environmental Directives are made available on the DOE website at www.doeni.gov.uk.
	The most recent consultation papers to be published by my Department which impact on agriculture concern implementation of the Nitrates Directive and the Water Framework Directive. Copies of these have been placed in the Library. A further consultation paper on implementation of the Nitrates Directive will issue shortly as will a paper containing proposals to extend existing waste management controls to agricultural waste. I will arrange for copies of these two papers to be placed in the Library.

West Tyrone

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the West Tyrone area plan will be published.

Angela Smith: In recent months the Planning Service has been reviewing the rapidly increasing and unprecedented workload pressures being faced by the Agency. After careful consideration of the available options, it has been decided to concentrate as much of the Agencies resources as possible for a period of time, initially for six months, on the operational side of the business, where there are clear legal obligations to meet.
	The reallocation of staff will, however, have a knock-on effect on emerging area plans. Resources are available to permit continued work on those plans which are at an advanced stage in the preparation process. However, progress on the remaining area plans, including West Tyrone, will be slower then previously programmed
	The importance of delivering full area plan coverage is recognised and the Planning Service will move forward with the area plan programme as quickly as is feasible. At this point in time it is not possible to say precisely when this will be. Much will depend on how quickly the pressure on the operational side can be reduced. An announcement on revised timescales for the Area Plan programme, including the West Tyrone Area Plan, will be made in due course.

West Tyrone

David Trimble: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland when the West Tyrone Area Plan will be published.

Angela Smith: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Member's question in this parliamentary Session.

Wheel-clamping

Nigel Dodds: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what plans he has to review the law relating to private operators of wheel-clamping in Northern Ireland.

Angela Smith: It has not been possible to answer the hon. Gentleman's question in this parliamentary session.

Working Time Directive

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland if he will estimate the costs resulting from the implementation of the European Working Time Directive on the working hours of (a) junior doctors, (b) senior doctors and (c) other health service personnel.

Angela Smith: The information requested is not available.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Afghanistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many poppy fields have been (a) identified and (b) destroyed by UK forces in Afghanistan since the fall of the Taliban.

Bill Rammell: Eradication of opium poppy is not a task for UK or other international military forces in Afghanistan.
	Eradication has been carried out by the Afghan Government in the three years (200204) since the fall of the Taliban. The Afghan authorities estimated that 17,300 hectares were destroyed in 2002 and 21,000 hectares in 2003, although there was no independent verification of these figures and we cannot therefore be satisfied as to their accuracy. Eradication in 2004 was carried out by the Afghan Government and the US-supported Central Poppy Eradication Force, where independent verification estimated that less than 4,000 hectares were eradicated.
	The UK, as lead nation on Counter Narcotics in Afghanistan, is providing support to the Afghan Government on eradication, principally through the Central Eradication Planning Cell.

Al-Qaeda

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions have taken place between the Government and West African countries regarding Islamic fundamentalism; and what assessment has been made of the number of Al-Qaeda cells operating in the region.

Denis MacShane: We have had a number of discussions with Governments in the region about fundamentalism. We believe that some Al-Qaeda-related individuals may be present in West Africa.

Azerbaijan

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether it is the Government's policy to support (a) the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan as including the former autonomous region of Nagorno Karabakh and (b) Azerbaijan's right to control its own borders; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We will support any mechanism for the resolution of the Nagorno Karabakh dispute that both parties can accept and which has a realistic chance of delivering a lasting political settlement. The framework for discussing such mechanisms is the OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by Russia, the US and France. While the UK is not a member of the Minsk Group, we support its work and remain in close touch through the UK Special Representative to the South Caucasus, Sir Brian Fall.

Bah' Community (Iran)

Huw Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the rights of the Bah' community in Iran to conduct social, educational and collective religious activities; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: We continue to have serious concerns about the situation of the Bahi community in Iran. We are monitoring the situation, and are in close contact with Bahi representatives in the UK. They report that their co-religionists face increasing discrimination, including arbitrary arrest and detention, the denial of free worship, the disregard of property rights, the destruction of sites of religious importance, the closure of institutes of higher learning, the suspension of social, educational and community-related activities and the denial of employment, pensions and other benefits. Our EU partners and we have raised our concerns with the Iranian authorities on many occasions, and have urged them to respect and protect the human rights of Iran's religious minorities. Along with all other EU partners, we have co-sponsored a Canadian draft UN General Assembly resolution on the situation of human rights in Iran, including the rights of members of the Bahi community.

Burma

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether Article 8a of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004, as inserted by Article 1 of Council Regulation (EC) No 1853/2004, will prevent persons resident in, or companies registered in, the EU from entering into joint venture partnerships with Burmese state-owned enterprises listed in Annex IV;
	(2)  whether Article 8a of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004 will apply to Burmese-registered subsidiary companies, wholly-owned or otherwise, of companies registered in the EU;
	(3)  what is meant by the phrase 'the acquisition of a participation' in a Burmese state-owned enterprise within Article 8a(1)(b) , of Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004.

Jack Straw: I refer the hon. Gentleman to Articles 8a(l) , 8a(2) and 14 of the Council Regulation (EC) 798/2004 (Official Journal, L 125, 28.4.2004, p.4), as amended by Council Regulation (EC) No. 1853/2004 (Official Journal, L 323, 26.10.2004, p.11).
	Paragraph 1 of Article 8a prohibits:
	(a) the granting of any financial loan to Burmese state-owned enterprises as listed in Annex IV, or the acquisition of bonds, certificates of deposit, warrants or debentures, issued by these enterprises.
	(b) the acquisition or extension of a participation in Burmese state-owned enterprises as listed in Annex IV. including the acquisition in full of such enterprises and the acquisition of shares and securities of a participating nature.
	Paragraph 2 of Article 8a provides that:
	The participation, knowing and intentionally, in activities, the object or effect of which is, directly or indirectly, to circumvent the provisions of paragraph 1 shall be prohibited.
	Article 14 provides that the Regulation shall apply:
	(a) within the territory of the Community, including its airspace;
	(b) on board any aircraft or any vessel under the jurisdiction of a member state;
	(c) to any person inside or outside the territory of the Community who is a national of a member state;
	(d) to any legal person, group or entity which is incorporated or constituted under the law of a member state:
	(e) to any legal person, group or entity doing business within the Community.
	The application of these and the other provisions of Council Regulation (EC) No. 798/2004 in any given case will depend on all the facts and circumstances, and persons who think they may be affected should seek independent legal advice. It would not be appropriate for the Government to attempt to interpret the EC legislation on their behalf.

Colombia

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what meetings United Kingdom representatives in Colombia have had recently with (a) trade unions, (b) human rights groups, (c) universities and (d) opposition parties; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: Our embassy in Bogota maintains regular contact with a wide range of organisations and individuals in Colombia, including representatives from the categories highlighted by my hon. Friend. These contacts encompass governmental and non-governmental figures, academics, trade unionists, NGOs, and other representatives of civil society, and a broad range of political parties both in government and opposition. For my part, I met representatives from these categories on 21 and 22 June during my second visit to Colombia, this time with Mr. Rory Murphy of the TUC. During my first visit in May 2003 I also met a wide range of Colombian NGOs, including representatives from a number of the categories mentioned. In addition I frequently meet Colombian visitors in Londonboth governmental and non-governmentalto brief me on the situation in their country. On 16 September I met a representative from a Colombian trade union in London. I also saw a Church representative on 18 October. Finally 1 hold regular meetings with British trades unionists about Colombia, most recently on 18 October. A further meeting with them is planned for 23 November. All the meetings are an important means of enhancing our understanding of the situation in Colombia.

Colombia

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make a statement in relation to UK military aid to Colombia.

Bill Rammell: We have always made it clear that we do provide, from time to time, military and security advice and assistance to the Colombian Government. UK military assistance focuses on Explosive Ordnance Disposal (EOD) training and British military education.
	Mines and other explosive devices are responsible for a significant proportion of deaths among the Colombian armed forces, and also have a devastating effect on the civilian population. Bomb disposal training, which forms the core of our military assistance programme, directly helps the Colombian armed forces to save civilian and military lives. We have also trained elements of the Colombian Authorities engaged in Counter-Narcotics work.
	We have also assisted the Colombian military on human rights issues. For example, under the Foreign and Commonwealth Office's Human Rights Project Fund we recently ran a project to raise awareness of the armed forces on their role in prevention of displacement and protection of the rights of internally displaced persons. We also have an ongoing project on human rights training for the military through the Colombian military justice school.
	British military training and education introduces personnel to British defence concepts, including the importance of accountable and democratic control of the armed forces, and the use of Rules of Engagement. It improves the ability of the Colombian armed forces to provide security for the Colombian people in a professional manner that preserves democracy and respects human rights.

Cuba

John Wilkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make enhanced intergovernmental contracts with Cuba contingent upon an improvement in human rights in that country.

Bill Rammell: UK policy on Cuba is governed by the EU Common Position, which has human rights enshrined as one of its key principles. The EU regularly issues statements condemning the imprisonment of human rights activists and other political prisoners in Cuba. I have also raised our concerns on human rights with the Cuban ambassador in London, and the Cuban Deputy Foreign Minister at the UN General Assembly.

Cyprus

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make it a condition of the United Kingdom's support for opening sea ports in northern Cyprus to EU trade that such ports adhere to (a) all existing and future European ports directives and (b) health and safety requirements; and how he expects such rules will be enforced.

Denis MacShane: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation, for which I apologise.

Ditchley Park

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what criteria he applies to the use of Ditchley Park by outside organisations for conferences, seminars and meetings concerned with international issues.

Jack Straw: Ditchley Park is an independent organisation. Neither the Foreign and Commonwealth Office nor any other Government Department is responsible for setting its criteria. Further information on Ditchley Park can be found at their website: www.ditchley.co.uk.

Equatorial Guinea

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to his answer of 9 November 2004, Official Report, column 631W, on Equatorial Guinea, from what source his Department learned of the attempted coup plot in Equatorial Guinea; to which foreign security agencies this information was passed, and when; and whether his Department informed authorities in Zimbabwe about the plot.

Chris Mullin: holding answer 16 November 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the reply my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary gave to the right hon. and learned Member for Devizes (Mr. Ancram) on 17 November 2004 (UINs 198219, 198227 and 198228).

EU Arms Embargoes

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  what plans there are for future EU arms embargoes to include provisions to turn off or degrade the Galileo positioning system signal to those subject to the embargo if the signal is used for military purposes;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of whether provision of Galileo positioning signals by the EU to a warring party would constitute a breach of neutrality in that armed conflict.

Denis MacShane: Galileo is a civilian system under civilian control, as confirmed by successive EU Transport Councils.
	As is currently the case with GPS, the Galileo Open Service will be freely available.
	A decision to develop or use specific military applications for Galileo would, under the terms of the EU treaty, have to be taken by unanimous decision by all member states. The UK is opposed to the development of military applications for Galileo.
	The Galileo Management Structures will be responsible for ensuring compliance of Galileo with international arms control regimes, acting on the guidance of member states through the Council.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for protection against the effects of the extra-territorial application of legislation adopted by a third country, and actions based thereon or resulting therefrom (anti-boycott) met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what issues were discussed; which of those were brought to the Committee's attention by the UK Government expert; what recommendations were made by the Committee; what actions were (a) proposed and (b) taken by the EU as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: It was intended that a Committee for Protection Against the Effects of the Extraterritorial Application of Legislation Adopted by a Third Country and Actions Based Thereon or Resulting Therefrom (anti-boycott) would be established in Brussels to assist EU companies affected by extraterritorial jurisdiction by third countries, and in particular those affected by the extraterritorial aspects of the US trade sanctions against Cuba, Iran and Libya.
	Thus far, the Committee has not been convened. UK companies are obliged to inform HMG and the European Commission of any extraterritorial action taken against them, but whilst it is clear who would be responsible for representing the UK at any meeting of the Committee, in these times of improved electronic communication, it has not been necessary in practice for it to meet.
	In addition, as part of the 1997 Understanding between the EU and the US, the US undertook to exempt European individuals and companies from the extraterritorial aspects of US legislation drastically reducing the number of cases occurring, thus further reducing the need for the Committee to meet. In this case, the other questions about the Committee do not apply.

European Constitution

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what commitments were entered into by the Government of the United Kingdom in respect of the Solemn Declaration on European Union of 1983; by whom the declaration was signed on behalf of the Government; and which of those commitments (a) have already been fulfilled or discharged by existing treaties, and by which treaty provisions in each case, (b) will be implemented by the proposed European Constitution as published by the Government as CM 6289 and (c) remain for future action.

Denis MacShane: The Solemn Declaration on European Union of 1983 was signed by the then Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher in the name of the UK Government. It was a non-binding commitment of the then 10 member states to reform the Community's institutions and to develop its policies in many areas. Much of it has since been implemented through the successive stages of evolution of the EU, through three further waves of accession, the Single European Act, the Maastricht Treaty on European Union, the Treaty of Amsterdam and the Treaty of Nice. The EU Constitutional Treaty would consolidate this process of reform.

Falkland Islands

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place with the governments of (a) Argentina, (b) Chile, (c) Brazil and (d) Uruguay regarding flights to and from the Falkland Islands over their airspace; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The issue of flights to and from the Falkland Islands has been discussed recently between the UK and Argentina. It was mentioned briefly during the meeting between my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary and the Argentine Foreign Minister Bielsa during the United Nations General Assembly on 22 September. It has also been discussed in on-going contacts at official level. The UK would like to see an arrangement reached with the Argentine Government that would allow charter flights to the Falkland Islands to resume. Any such agreement would have to be acceptable to the Falkland Islanders.
	Discussions with the governments of Chile, Brazil and Uruguay take place as necessary.

Falluja (Journalists)

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what precautions are in place to protect journalists reporting on the front line with troops in Falluja.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation, for which I apologise.

Foreign Prisons (UK Minors)

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many United Kingdom minors are held in foreign prisons.

Chris Mullin: We record the number of British nationals detained overseas who request consular assistance on a quarterly and annual basis. The age of the detainee is not recorded. But our consular staff are alerted quickly when a minor is arrested. We provide consular assistance with all due care and consideration to their age.
	The information requested could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

G8 Summit

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what support, including financial support, is to be provided to Perth and Kinross council to prepare for the G8 summit.

Douglas Alexander: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) does not have financial responsibilities for supporting Perth and Kinross council, as local authority funding in Scotland is a matter for the Scottish Executive, but is supporting them in other ways to maximise the benefits of the summit for the local area. The FCO is helping them to respond to residents' concerns about the summit's possible impact, for example by taking part in their key public meetings, and is working with them to help involve local people and businesses in the summit where possible.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) has taken steps to ensure that FCO buildings within the Greater London area are as fully accessible to disabled people as is reasonably practicable, in line with the principals of the Disability Discrimination Act 1996. Where it has been found that access to certain areas is restricted, measures are in place to address these issues.

Grenada/Cayman Islands

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when the Governments of (a) Grenada and (b) the Cayman Islands formally asked his Department for financial and other help following the recent hurricanes.

Bill Rammell: Sadly, Hurricane Ivan caused widespread damage in Grenada and in the Cayman Islands, making communications very difficult. We were, nevertheless, in very regular touch, in whatever ways were possible, with officials in Grenada and the Cayman Islands prior to and after Hurricane Ivan hit and so discussed their needs and requests for help as the situation developed.
	As my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for International Development set out in his statement of 12 October 2004, Official Report, columns 1420WS, we responded quickly to immediate needs including by sending two Royal Navy vessels to Grenada and the Cayman Islands immediately following the hurricane. Our assistance to the region following the hurricanes and storms in September amounts to almost 9.75 million.

Guantanamo Bay

Diane Abbott: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs which (a) British nationals and (b) former British residents are detained by the US Administration in Guantanamo Bay; where each was first taken into custody by US forces; how long each has been detained; what efforts the Government have made to obtain visitation rights for the detainees' families; how many letters each has been allowed to send in the last 12 months; and whether detainees had been tortured.

Chris Mullin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation, for which I apologise.

Iran

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will publish the evidence received from the International Atomic Energy Authority that Iran has (a) breached nuclear safeguards obligations and (b) failed to meet suspension commitments; where these breaches and failures occurred; and what plans the International Atomic Energy Authority has to pursue the issue.

Denis MacShane: The latest report by the Director-General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will be discussed by the IAEA's Board of Governors at their next meeting which is due to begin on 25 November. Until then, it remains confidential. Once the Board of Governors meeting is concluded, we expect the board to decide to release the report for publication, as has been the case with previous reports. The IAEA is continuing to investigate all unresolved issues relating to Iran's nuclear programme.
	The Government are planning to produce a Command Paper containing the key documents on Iran's nuclear programme. This Command Paper will include all the reports of the Director-General and Resolutions on Iran adopted by the Board of Governors over the past two years.

Iran

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the implications of Iran's nuclear programme for (a) regional stability and (b) the Middle East peace process.

Bill Rammell: The proliferation of nuclear weapons in the Middle East would pose a significant threat to stability and efforts to establish peace in the region. The UK, working closely with France and Germany and the Office of the EU High Representative, has encouraged Iran to take steps that would reassure the international community that its nuclear programme is exclusively for peaceful purposes. We welcome the agreement reached with Iran on 15 November.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on Iraq, with particular reference to the situation in Falluja;
	(2)  what emergency (a) medical supplies, (b) personnel and (c) equipment will be provided by the UK to assist those injured by coalition forces attacks upon Fallujah.

Chris Mullin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation, for which I apologise.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what methods are being used to examine the report in The Lancet on Iraqi civilian deaths; which personnel have been assigned to conduct the examination; and when the examination began.

Chris Mullin: My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary made a written statement on The Lancet report on 17 November 2004, Official Report, columns 9295WS). The estimate made in The Lancet article is at marked variance with the civilian death rate shown in figures compiled by Iraqi hospital staff since April. These figures, which report just under 4,000 Iraqi civilian casualties for the last 6 months, come from admissions to 182 hospitals.

Iraq

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whose control the main hospital in Fallujah is under.

Bill Rammell: The Iraqi Security Forces recaptured Fallujah General Hospital on 7 November. The hospital remains under Iraqi Interim Government control.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether, in respect of information set out at paragraphs 91 and 92 of the Intelligence and Security Committee Report, Cm 5972, the Government have been informed as to when the US Federal Bureau of Intelligence investigation ordered by Senator Rockefeller in March 2003 into the source of the forged documents on an Iraq-Niger uranium deal is due to report.

Denis MacShane: The investigation requested by Senator Rockefeller is continuing. The Federal Bureau of Investigation has not yet given an indication of when the investigation will be completed.

Iraq

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the Government's policy is with regard to the handing over to the Iraqi authorities of Iraqi detainees who could face the death penalty.

Bill Rammell: holding answer 16 September 2004
	Under CPA Memorandum 3. which applies to UK forces post 28 June, we are required to hand over apprehended persons suspected of having committed criminal acts to the Iraqi criminal justice system as soon as practically possible.
	We have lobbied and will continue to lobby the Iraqi Government against the application of the death penalty in all cases.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when British officials first became aware of allegations of mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib.

Bill Rammell: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation, for which I apologise.

Ivory Coast

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment has been made of the possibility of conflict in the Ivory Coast spreading to neighbouring West African countries; and what discussions have taken place with the African Union on preventing regional instability.

Chris Mullin: We remain concerned at the possibility of the conflict spreading, and recent reports of refugees fleeing to Liberia. We have called on neighbouring countries in UN Security Council Resolutions 1528 and 1572, to co-operate on regional stability. We welcome the efforts of the African Union to end the violence and bring about a political settlement based on the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement.

Ivory Coast

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what steps the Government are taking to help prevent a full-scale conflict within the Ivory Coast between government forces and northern rebels; and what discussions have taken place between the Government and (a) the UN, (b) the Government of France and (c) the Cote D'Ivoire Government on resolving the situation.

Chris Mullin: We have strongly condemned in the UN the resumption of violence in Cote d'lvoire. The UN delivered a strong message to all the parties including the Government of the Cote d'Ivoire, through UN Security Council Resolution 1572, that they must implement immediately the Linas-Marcoussis Agreement. The Resolution also imposes an immediate arms embargo, and a travel ban and assets freeze on those who block the peace process. We fully support the action undertaken by French forces and the UN operation in Cote d'Ivoire. We remain in close contact with the Government of France on next steps.

Loos Battlefield

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent representations have been made by Her Majesty's Government to the Government of France regarding the preservation of Loos battlefield; and if he will make a statement.

Denis MacShane: Her Majesty's consul general at Lille, and the Commonwealth War Graves Commission (CWGC) Director for Information, visited an area of the Loos Battlefields on 12 November and met the Mayor of Auchy les Mines and the landowner of a local landfill site. The consul general highlighted strong public concern in the UK following media reports that waste material was being deposited in an area where British soldiers fell during the 1915 Battle of Loos. At the end of the First World War, British authorities cleared the battlefield and soldiers' remains were interred in local CWGC cemeteries. The consul general reminded the local authorities of their obligation to treat any further remains of British and Commonwealth soldiers, should they be discovered, with dignity and respect, and CWGC have followed up in writing. The French authorities decided to cease this particular landfill operation from 17 November 2004. We will remain fully engaged with all British and Commonwealth War Grave issues throughout France and around the world.

Malaysia

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions his Department has had with members of the Malaysian Government concerning their policy on illegal immigrants and the impact of that policy on the Rohingya refugees; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The British high commission in Kuala Lumpur continues to raise our concerns with the Malaysian Government over the issue of illegal immigrants and the status of Rohingya refugees.
	We therefore welcome the recent announcement from the Prime Minister's office with regard to the status of the Rohingyas. The Malaysian Government have indicated that those Rohingyas who have been documented and given refugee status by the UN High Commission for Refugees will be issued with ID cards. This will entitle them to legal status in Malaysia, enabling them to find work and giving their children access to education.

Maldives

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will make representations on the need to ensure the Maldives Government general election campaign is conducted to internationally accepted standards; and if he will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The parliamentary elections due in the Maldives on 31 December come at an important moment in the country's democratic reform process. We have already welcomed many of the reform proposals outlined by President Gayoom in June and his stated commitment to an open and inclusive reform process. The elections will enable the international community to judge whether President Gayoom and the Maldives Government are genuinely committed to reform. We look to the Government of the Maldives to ensure that the election process is free and fair and in accordance with international standards; that all who wish to stand for election are allowed to stand and campaign freely; that the electorate and the media are allowed to engage in open debate; and that state resources are not used to favour some candidates more than others. Without a free and fair election, the Maldives long-term stability and prosperity will be at risk. My officials and I will be raising these points with representatives of the Government. We welcome the Government of the Maldives invitation to the Commonwealth Secretariat to send an observer team.

Middle East

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the (a) Egyptian Government and (b) Palestinian Authority concerning freedom of religion in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We have not made any representations to the Egyptian Government or the Palestinian Authority concerning freedom of religion in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal.
	We will continue to press the Palestinian Authority to ensure they can demonstrate a commitment to the human rights of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Middle East

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what representations he has made to the (a) Egyptian Government and (b) Palestinian Authority concerning women's rights in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Mullin: We have not made any representations to the Egyptian Government or the Palestinian Authority concerning women's rights in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal.
	We will continue to press the Palestinian Authority to ensure they can demonstrate a commitment to the human rights of both Israelis and Palestinians.

Musilimot Adelodun Seriki-Rogers

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs when appeal number LAG/488597 relating to Musilimot Adelodun Seriki-Rogers will be heard.

David Lammy: I have been asked to reply.
	The appeal of Miss Musilimot Adelodum Seriki-Rogers is listed for a preliminary hearing at the Immigration Appellate Authority hearing centre in Stoke-on-Trent on the 9 December 2004, with the substantive oral hearing listed at the same venue for the 4 January 2005.

Nuclear Accidents

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the current threat of nuclear accidents worldwide; and if he will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 15 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Overseas Voters

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what the date was of the last meeting between the Foreign and Commonwealth Office and the Electoral Commission to discuss the registration of overseas voters.

Chris Mullin: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) and the Electoral Commission last met on 10 November 2004. In the meeting we discussed how the FCO could further assist the Electoral Commission in its efforts to publicise overseas voter registration.

Palestinian Territories

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what progress has been made in policing in Palestinian Territories to maintain the rule of law and prevent violence as set out in the Road Map.

Chris Mullin: Some progress has been made in policing the Occupied Territories, including the establishment of a Central Operations Room in Ramallah, which has resulted in a number of suicide bombings being prevented by the Palestinian Authority. A second Central Operations Room is due to be set up in Gaza.The UK is supporting the Palestinians in their efforts to improve security. We have offered advice, equipment and mentoring, through a senior UK police adviser in the Occupied Territories. We are also working with EU partners to prepare an assistance project for Palestinian civil policing.
	We stand ready to work with the new Palestinian leadership to continue this work. There is much they still have to do. We look forward to a renewed effort to make the most of the changed landscape in the Middle East.

Peru

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what his Department's assessment is of the human rights situation in Peru; and what action his Department is taking to improve the situation.

Bill Rammell: We constantly monitor the human rights situation in Peru. We have actively supported the efforts of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission, set up to analyse, investigate and ascribe responsibility for past human rights abuses. This support has helped develop institutional capacity within the Commission in the regions most affected by the violence. With the mandate of the Commission now concluded, the Peruvian authorities are now in the process of implementing its recommendations. We are currently supporting the work of the Human Rights Ombudsman's Office and the National Co-ordinator for Human Rights in this aim. We continue to make representations to the Peruvian authorities in support of human rights and our embassy in Lima maintains close contact with the main organisations that promote and defend human rights in Peru.

Redundant Soldiers (Sierra Leone/Liberia)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what estimate has been made of the number of redundant fighters in (a) Sierra Leone and (b) Liberia; what assessment has been made of the possibility that these fighters may travel to the Ivory Coast to fight there; and what steps the Government have taken to facilitate alternative employment for soldiers in (i) Liberia and (ii) Sierra Leone.

Chris Mullin: Estimates of numbers of ex-combatants in the region vary. However, 72,000 people in Sierra Leone, and 95,000 in Liberia, have participated in disarmament, demobilisation programmes. We remain concerned about the possibility of fighters moving to different conflicts; we have supported rehabilitation and reintegration programmes in both countries. I shall be visiting Sierra Leone and Liberia later this month to see the situation for myself.

Safety of Maritime Navigation Convention

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what amendments his Department has proposed to the Convention for the Suppression of Unlawful Acts Against the Safety of Maritime Navigation 1988.

Bill Rammell: The UK has not proposed any amendments to this Convention. The US initiated the amendments in 2002. Our officials have been working with other International Maritime Organisation (IMO) Member States, and non-governmental organisations to achieve consensus on the draft texts. The amendments will provide a legal framework, based on the principal of prior flag state consent, for interdiction of ships on the high seas suspected of being involved in terrorism, including the illegal transportation of WMD. Good progress has been made in respect of the new terrorist offences, and general consensus has been achieved on many of the provisions of the boarding regime.
	The IMO has met six times to exchange views on the draft texts. Further progress was made at the October meeting of the IMO Committee, and an IMO Diplomatic Conference to adopt the amendments is now scheduled for October 2005.

Sudan

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 November 2004 by the Under-Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, Official Report, column 696, on rebel attacks in Darfur on civilians and aid convoys, what the evidential basis is for the statement that the rebels are making more such attacks.

Chris Mullin: The UN Secretary-General's report to the Security Council of 2 November states that:
	Ceasefire violations continued throughout the month (of October). In fact, they increased on both sides . . . From African Union Ceasefire Commission and other reports it seems that the Sudan Liberation Movement/Army (SLM/A) was responsible for the greater number of violations in October.
	This report goes on to say that
	the SLM/A are seeking to claim a wider area of Darfur as being under their control and have taken action leading to the closure of several routes of strategic importance. In what appears to be a deliberate campaign to strengthen their logistical and fighting capacity, SLM/A forces attacked a large number of police positions and so-called soft targets, capturing weapons and ammunition. They have captured vehicles from the police, but also taken them at gunpoint from humanitarian agencies.
	We are pressing both the Government of Sudan and the rebels to respect the ceasefire and to abide by the terms of the Humanitarian and Security Protocols which they signed on 9 November.

Turkmenistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions have taken place between the Government and the Russian Federation on the regime in Turkmenistan.

Bill Rammell: We have periodic consultations on all aspects of the situation in Turkmenistan with Russian officials in both Ashgabat and Moscow.

Turkmenistan

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent assessment has been made of the (a) political and (b) economic situation in Turkmenistan.

Bill Rammell: We remain seriously concerned by the absence of democracy in Turkmenistan. Parliamentary elections have been scheduled for 19 December. However, although the Turkmen authorities have announced each seat will be contested by more than one candidate, Turkmenistan remains a one-party state. We believe that there is no prospect that the December elections will meet even minimal democratic standards. Parliament in any case has few genuine responsibilities in a country in which power is firmly held by President Niyazov.
	We supported the tabling of resolutions at the 59th and 60th sessions of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights in 2003 and spring 2004 and also at the Third Committee of the UN General Assembly in 2003. We are doing so again at this year's UN General Assembly. These have noted the limited positive steps by the Turkmen Government and have raised serious concerns about the human rights situation and the absence of democracy in Turkmenistan.
	Turkmenistan has substantial reserves of natural gas and oil deposits. However, there are reasons to doubt whether this will underpin successful long-term economic development. Firstly, most of its gas exports have traditionally gone to countries in the former Soviet Union like Ukraine which pay well below world market prices. Secondly, there is little evidence that the revenues generated by the energy sector are effectively invested in areassuch as health and educationwhich would provide a basis for continuing growth prospects in the future. The distribution of wealth is very uneven; poverty is rife while the large profits of the energy sector are shared between a relatively small section of the population.
	There has been little economic reform and no agreement concluded with the IMF. The Turkmen economy is highly reliant on the production of energy and cotton. Any hopes of significant diversification are hindered by the failure of the Turkmen Government's economic policies to promote a business environment which stimulates new investment.

United Nations Reform

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what research he has commissioned regarding reform of the United Nations; and if he will make a statement.

Bill Rammell: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has not commissioned any recent research on the reform of the United Nations. Ministers and officials are, however, in close touch with many academics and practitioners who are engaged in the international debate on this subject. For example, I hosted a seminar on UN reform involving leading UK academics in June 2003 and followed this up with a round-table with academics in July 2003 on the same subject. 1 have also held a number of meetings with New York based academics during my regular visits to the United Nations.
	We have been closely involved in discussions surrounding the work of the High Level Panel set up by the UN Secretary-General to make recommendations on improving the UN's work on peace and security. The Government's position on this and other aspects of UN reform was set out in the Command Paper The United Kingdom in the United Nations (Cm 6325) published in October.

West Papua

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent discussions he has had with the Government of Indonesia on the future of West Papua, with particular reference to the role of the security forces within the area.

Douglas Alexander: Together with our European partners, we regularly raise our concerns about the situation in Papua. On 28 October, EU ministerial representatives visited Indonesia and met with the newly elected President, Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono and the Minister for Foreign Affairs, Hasan Wirayuda. Both expressed their view that two of the key issues for the new Indonesia Government were a resolution to the problems in Papua and the promotion and protection of human rights throughout Indonesia. We hope that this will lead to a peaceful and negotiated solution to the situation in Papua.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Children's Broadcasting

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the impact on children's broadcasting funded wholly or partly through advertising of the proposals set out in the Government's Public Health White Paper.

Estelle Morris: The Government's Public Health White Paper sets out a range of options for tightening the rules on broadcast advertising, sponsorship and promotion of foods to children. We recognise that some of these could have an impact on the funding of children's broadcasting and this is referred to in the Partial Regulatory Impact Assessment associated with the White Paper and on which comments are sought.
	As the White Paper makes clear, the options to be pursued by Ofcom will be dependent on the nutritional profiling scheme being developed by the Department of Health and the Food Standards Agency. Ofcom will consult on proposed rule changes in due course and will, if they are likely to have a significant impact, undertake a full Regulatory Impact Assessment as required under the Communications Act 2003.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by her Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Richard Caborn: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Digital Television

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to improve the reception of digital television signals in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Estelle Morris: The Government are committed to ensuring that at Digital Switchover everyone who can currently get the main public service broadcasting channels in analogue form (BBC1 and 2, ITV, Channel 4/S4C and Five) can receive them on digital systems.
	At present around 73 per cent. of UK households can access Digital Terrestrial Television services. In Newcastle-under-Lyme as in other areas, the transmitters that broadcast the digital services have to be limited to avoid interference with the analogue signal. This situation will not change until switchover.
	The 22 July statement made to the House by my right hon. Friend the Secretary of Stateindicated that while the broadcasters have not reached a full consensus on the optimum timetable, someincluding the BBChave suggested that 2012 may be the most appropriate date for the completion of switchover. This was reflected in the draft Digital Replacement Licences for commercial Public Service Broadcasters on which Ofcom recently consulted. A final decision on the timetable will be made in due course.

English Heritage

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what plans English Heritage have to retain the post of chief archaeologist; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: As part of its modernisation programme, English Heritage has integrated its Archaeology and Historic Buildings and Areas departments. This will ensure a more holistic approach to the study and conservation of the historic environment. In this context, the chief archaeologist post has been replaced with a new post of Archaeological Adviser.

European Commission (Audiovisual Services)

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what representations she has received about the changes in responsibility for audiovisual services within the European Commission; and if she will make a statement.

Estelle Morris: None.

Football

John Whittingdale: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will investigate the BBC's acquisition of national radio rights to Premier League and FA Cup football matches to be broadcast on Five Live Sports Extra; whether this is in breach of the conditions laid down by the Secretary of State for the operation of the station; and whether the BBC requested that these rights be excluded from the packages of the rights that they acquired.

Estelle Morris: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Free TV Licences

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many households in Pendle receive the free television licence for the over 75s.

Estelle Morris: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information Act

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely costs to her Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gambling

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the overseas visits made by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the Department in relation to proposed changes to legislation on gambling; what the itinerary was for each visit; how long each visit lasted; which hotels were used; what the cost was in each case; and how each visit was funded.

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what contacts Mr. Elliot Grant of her Department has had with companies involved in the (a) British and (b) US gaming industry in the past 24 months; and whether he has undertaken fact-finding visits in the United States in the company of employees of the (i) British and (ii) US gaming industry;
	(2)  what contacts Mr. Gideon Hoffman of her Department has had with companies involved in the (a) British and (b) US gaming industry in the past 24 months; what contacts he has had with representatives of (i) Ladbrokes and (ii) the Hilton Group; what contacts he has had with Mr. Alan Ross, Managing Director of Ladbrokes; and whether he has undertaken fact-finding visits in the United States in the company of employees of the (A) British and (B) US gaming industry;
	(3)  whether she has visited (a) Las Vegas and (b) Atlantic City in her official capacity;
	(4)  what contacts Mr. Nicholas Bent in her Department has had with companies involved in the (a) British and (b) US gaming industry in the past 24 months; and whether he has undertaken fact-finding visits in the United States in the company of employees of the British or US gaming industry.

Tessa Jowell: holding answer 1 November 2004
	Since 1999 this Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Library. Information on travel by officials is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate costs.
	All travel is undertaken fully in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code, Travel by Ministers and the Civil Service Management Code, copies of which are available in the Library.
	I can confirm that I have visited neither Las Vegas nor Atlantic City in an official capacity, although my right hon. Friend the Minister for Media and Heritage has visited a number of places in the United States as well as South Africa with a view to ensuring that regulatory judgments are well founded.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will list the occasions on which (a) she, and (b) other ministers in her Department have met representatives of (i) US casino operators, (ii) British casino operators and (iii) casino operators from other countries to discuss gambling issues, broken down by date of meeting.

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  how many recent meetings she has had with representatives of (a) Sun International, (b) MGM Mirage, (c) Kerzner International, (d) Caesar's Entertainment and (e) the British Casino Association; when those meetings took place; and if she will list the representatives whom she met from each organisation;
	(2)  how many recent meetings (a) officials and (b) special advisers of her Department have had with representatives of (i) Sun International , (ii) MGM Mirage, (iii) Kerzner International, (iv) Caesar's Entertainment and (v) the British Casino Association.

Frank Dobson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what meetings (a) she, (b) other Ministers in her Department and (c) officials have had in the last six months with (i) representatives of the gambling industry and (ii) organisations concerned about the possible harmful effects of increased gambling.

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  which (a) UK and (b) international organisations have submitted written representations to the Department concerning the Government's proposals for changes to legislation on gambling; and on what dates each representation was (i) received and (ii) given a substantive response;
	(2)  on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the Department have held meetings with representatives of the UK gambling industry to discuss proposed changes to legislation on gambling;
	(3)  what meetings (a) she, (b) her departmental Ministers and (c) advisers and officials have held with representatives of (i) Sun City International, (ii) MGM Mirage, (iii) Mandalay Resort Group, (iv) Kerzner International, (v) Las Vegas Sands, Inc., (vi) Harrah's Entertainment, (vii) Caesar's Entertainment and (viii) other foreign casino firms; what the (A) dates and (B) venues of the meetings were; and which individuals were present.

Tessa Jowell: Since the publication of the report of the Gambling Review Body (Cm 5206) in July 2001, the Department has undertaken a very extensive programme of consultations with interested bodies about options and proposals for changes to gambling law in Great Britain. There have been two formal public consultations, the first on the Review Body's report and the second on the draft clauses published for pre-legislative scrutiny in November 2003.
	In addition to these consultations the relevant Government Departments have corresponded with and met individual companies (including those who have expressed an interest in trading in Great Britain as well as those already doing so), trade associations, charities and other bodies concerned with problem gambling or who benefit from lotteries, local authorities, trade unions, law enforcement agencies, academics and many other bodies and individuals, including members of the public, with an interest. These contacts, designed to ensure that the Government's policy proposals are sound and take full account of all relevant benefits, costs and risks, have involved both Ministers and officials. All such contacts are conducted in accordance with the Ministerial Code and the Civil Service Code.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether all Government buildings in her Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: All DCMS buildings are fully accessible to disabled people. A full accessibility audit for the Disability Discrimination Act was carried out during the spring of 2004 and all reasonable alterations made to comply with the requirements of the Act. Access was already possible for wheelchairs and further work has been carried out to make plate glass doors more obvious, to add induction loops, fire warnings for the hearing impaired, to limit door pressures and improve and add tactile signage.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Estelle Morris: There have been five DCMS Green Ministers.

Horseracing

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  whether she has received any representations to extend the life of the Horserace Betting Levy Board;
	(2)  what discussions she has had with the British Horseracing Board about the recent European Court of Justice decision concerning modernisation of British horseracing; and what the conclusions were;
	(3)  what assessment she has made of the impact the recent European Court of Justice ruling will have on the implementation of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act 2004;
	(4)  what assessment she has made of the impact of the recent European Court of Justice ruling on the modernisation of British horseracing.

Richard Caborn: Following the recent ruling of the European Court of Justice in relaxation to database rights the British Horseracing Board asked the Government to extend the Horserace Betting Levy. The Government is not currently persuaded that the ruling provides sufficient reason to suspend the planned timetable for the implementation of the Horserace Betting and Olympic Lottery Act; but I met the Chairman of the Board on 15 November to discuss the implications of the ruling. We agreed to meet again to discuss this issue further in the light of the full assessment, which the Board will now be undertaking.

Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Richard Caborn: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Lottery Funding

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much the annual Sports Lottery has distributed in grants since 1994.

Richard Caborn: Information on Lottery distribution, in terms of the amounts authorised for payment out of the National Lottery Distribution Fund (NLDF) to the distributing bodies for payments to grant recipients, can be obtained from the National Lottery Distribution Fund Annual Accounts for the years 199495 to 200203 inclusive. In each year's Accounts, a table headed Reconciliation of amounts available to distributing bodies gives the amounts Authorised for payment to distributing bodies. This equals the amount drawn down from the NLDF by the distributors. The aggregate amounts drawn down by the sports distributors in each financial year from 199495 are given in the following table. Copies of the full NLDF accounts are available in the House of Commons Library.
	
		Total drawn down from the NLDF by sports Lotterydistributing bodies
		
			   
		
		
			 199495 1,830,056 
			 199596 40,079,523 
			 199697 104,059,408 
			 199798 188,291,343 
			 199899 397,379,272 
			 19992000 316,688,360 
			 200001 292,540,885 
			 200102 359,233,902 
			 200203 377,493,781 
		
	
	The NLDF Annual Accounts for 200304 are currently being audited prior to publication.

Lottery Funding

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 8 November, Official Report, column 513W, on the Heritage Lottery Fund (HLF), if she will issue general guidelines to the HLF to permit the trustees to support projects relating to the heritage of the UK but located overseas.

Richard Caborn: The National Heritage Acts 1980 and 1997 do not exclude applications to the Heritage Lottery Fund from applicants incorporated abroad, or which relate to projects based abroad, nor do existing policy directions from the Secretary of State do so. However Trustees of the Fund have decided that, because of difficulties of public access and involvement in projects based abroad, these projects will continue to be a low priority.

Lottery Funding

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much Heritage Lottery funding has been awarded on average to each unitary authority in England in each year since 1997.

Richard Caborn: The information is in the following table:
	
		Heritage Lottery Fund awards awarded to unitary authorities in England in each year since 1997
		
			 Sum of net decision value () 
			  Calendar year 
			 Local authority 1997 1998 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 Bath and North East Somerset 1,286,700 483,900 1,476,000 157,400 0 2,931,412 284,600 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 0 25,900 622,500 29,035 2,679,400 18,090 1,625,785 
			 Blackpool 13,700 0 0 0 407,000 208,400 4,896,700 
			 Bournemouth 2,060,125 15,000 178,000 0 943,100 0 211,000 
			 Bracknell Forest 101,000 0 0 0 1,077,000 0 50,000 
			 Brighton and Hove 8,390,575 1,257,344 0 1,273,700 44,550 277,400 798,400 
			 Bristol, City of 328,300 4,822,600 2,784,000 10,029,850 5,399,500 3,153,309 928,200 
			 County of Herefordshire 684,770 600,200 723,500 83,600 1,758,800 810,500 1,442,999 
			 Darlington 15,300 20,100 99,000 2,835,000 0 113,283 45,700 
			 Derby 9,250 3,457,000 34,300 779,950 1,946,000 153,061 1,024,800 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 645,391 565,600 192,379 3,487,000 164,550 1,594,732 351,600 
			 Halton 0 105,000 19,800 49,000 45,200 0 2,626,800 
			 Hartlepool 5,532,750 75,000 71,400 1,002,000 80,000 32,900 34,600 
			 Isle of Wight 0 139,500 4,729 591,000 3,186,500 1,027,670 1,076,856 
			 Kingston upon Hull, City of 3,500,000 625,400 0 0 5,251,769 1,288,050 115,100 
			 Leicester 159,900 96,800 1,413,100 150,679 422,900 131,682 1,912,450 
			 Luton 0 0 457,500 0 1,022,000 60,200 69,100 
			 Medway 1,574,300 3,165,481 2,650,200 2,474,527 1,135,313 4,309,607 267,155 
			 Middlesbrough 132,730 0 4,093,000 770,000 463,300 878,450 113,300 
			 Milton Keynes 0 0 346,600 0 49,900 40,881 124,400 
			 North East Lincolnshire 25,996 0 0 55,800 299,000 48,668 44,300 
			 North Lincolnshire 43,600 0 54,900 928 361,300 49,280 436,300 
			 North Somerset 133,800 1,715,825 4,627,171 132,860 1,108,655 426,350 106,500 
			 Nottingham 554,900 913,933 970,200 222,160 68,000 1,016,438 5,346,900 
			 Peterborough 500,910 54,000 659,000 290,000 0 1,356,200 69,100 
			 Plymouth 4,642,150 0 540,848 407,000 0 2,487,300 228,000 
			 Poole 0 436,700 16,000 89,600 75,600 16,547 0 
			 Portsmouth 272,200 512,200 50,200 1,081,850 499,200 4,274,800 127,021 
			 Reading 3,862,825 188,750 8,400 1,568,500 179,000 49,900 932,800 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 40,500 24,624 1,152,600 870,900 0 24,000 50,000 
			 Rutland 16,600 0 67,500 0 20,700 370,685 0 
			 Slough 0 0 0 58,200 0 56,000 126,978 
			 South Gloucestershire 140,000 0 772,000 181,100 3,458 64,610 0 
			 Southampton 3,542,575 0 1,054,578 692,709 0 476,900 668,000 
			 Southend-on-Sea 0 120,000 1,530,000 0 0 0 49,300 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 0 0 14,100 0 2,633,900 5,000 236,200 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 135,300 2,543,880 2,222,504 1,320,800 206,600 631,300 178,792 
			 Swindon 8,047,900 496,400 3,148,350 0 0 500,000 5,074,300 
			 Telford and Wrekin 52,600 134,427 5,993,500 16,800 250,000 90,000 99,935 
			 Thurrock 88,800 0 0 0 65,700 110,500 142,006 
			 Torbay 26,400 104,300 420,500 4,814,100 0 38,934 680,800 
			 Warrington 99,900 86,000 0 0 0 716,250 41,100 
			 West Berkshire 707,700 0 0 0 0 4,384,583 149,500 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 27,000 234,000 0 21,900 0 0 0 
			 Wokingham 60,000 0 0 77,600 5,170,000 104,508 0 
			 York 2,328,612 2,697,570 173,400 431,700 4,836,800 433,684 1,026,644 
			 Grand Total 49,785,059 25,717,434 38,641,759 36,047,248 41,854,695 34,762,062 33,814,021

Ministerial Visits

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what ministerial visits are planned for each Minister in her Department in the next six months; and if she will make a statement.

Richard Caborn: The following ministerial visits have been planned:
	
		
			  Planned visits 
		
		
			 Secretary of State2005  
			 19 January East Midlands 
			 26 January Yorks and Humber 
			 89 February North West 
			 2026 February South Africa 
			 12 March North East 
			 89 March South West 
			   
			 Richard Caborn2005  
			 31 January North West 
			 1 February East Midlands 
			 9 February South East 
			 15 February Essex 
			 22 February Yorks and Humberside 
			 17 March North West 
			   
			 Estelle Morris  
			 2004  
			 25 November North East 
			 7 December North West 
			 16 December West Midlands 
			 2005  
			 21 January West Midlands 
			 26 January South West 
			 4 February West Midlands 
			 11 February West Midlands 
			 15 March South East 
			 Andrew McIntosh  
			 2004  
			 3 December North East  
			 2005  
			 21 January South East 
			 2 March South East

National Lottery

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the Heritage Lottery Fund has given to museums in each of the last three years; and what proportion of total Heritage Lottery Funding this constituted in each year.

Richard Caborn: The information is in the following table:
	
		Funding by the Heritage Lottery Fund for Museums and Galleries
		
			  Amount (million) Proportion of total HLF funding 
		
		
			 200102 107,419,163 34.7 
			 200203 103,529,510 31.8 
			 200304 73,831,797 25

National Lottery

Hugh Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much money was distributed to sport through the lottery in each of the last 10 years.

Estelle Morris: pursuant to her reply, 11 November 2004, Official Report, c. 838W
	The information given in the table contained in my answer was not correct. In fact, the closest approximation of the amount of lottery funding distributed to sport is the amount drawn down from the National Lottery Distribution Fund by the sports lottery distributing bodies to make grant payments to successful applicants. These figures, aggregating draw-down by the individual distributors, for each financial year since the inception of the national lottery, appear in the following table.
	
		
			  Total drawn down from the NLDF by sports lottery distributing bodies () 
		
		
			 199495 1,830,056 
			 199596 40,079,523 
			 199697 104,059,408 
			 199798 188,291,343 
			 199899 397,379,272 
			 19992000 316,688,360 
			 200001 292,540,885 
			 200102 359,233,902 
			 200203 377,493,781 
		
	
	The NLDF annual accounts for 200304, which are currently being audited prior to publication, will give the figure for that year.

National Lottery

Tony Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport if she will assess the merits of establishing a designated lottery fund for the maintenance of war memorials.

Richard Caborn: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State has no such plans. However, the Heritage Lottery Fund will consider applications for the restoration of war memorials provided that they fulfil their criteria, and to date the HLF has awarded over 618,000 to 21 projects renovating war memorials. The Grants for War Memorials scheme co-funded by English Heritage and the Wolfson Foundation, but administered by the charity the Friends of War Memorials, also provides grants of up 10,000 to undertake any necessary restoration, essential maintenance or repair of war memorials.

National Lottery

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 14 October 2004, Official Report, column 328W, on Lottery grants, what monitoring has been carried out to ensure that timber used in Lottery-funded projects is from legal and sustainable sources; and what sanctions can be applied where this is found not to be the case.

Estelle Morris: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Sports Councils

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1307W, on sports councils, what the annual Exchequer grants to the national governing bodies of sport were in each year from 1974 to 1996.

Richard Caborn: As I stated in my answer of 27 October 2004, Official Report, column 1233W, to my hon. Friend the Department does not hold this information. We have contacted Sport England to see if they hold this information and they are currently checking to see if printed copies of the old Great Britain Sports Council's Annual Report and Accounts are available. I will write to my hon. Friend when it is determined whether the information is available.

Television

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that there is a competitive market in the provision of cable television to residential customers.

Estelle Morris: There is a competitive market in the provision of digital television services through the three platforms of digital terrestrial television, satellite and cable. It is a commercial decision for cable companies whether to provide a service to a geographic area, and there is no restriction on companies wishing to enter the market.

Television

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what steps she is taking to ensure that analogue cable television networks are converted to digital provision.

Estelle Morris: None. Analogue cable television is not affected by digital switchover and the extent to which operators convert their networks to digital is a commercial decision for them. We are however in regular contact with the cable companies to encourage digital provision. About 72 per cent. of cable TV customers use digital services.

Theatre

Phyllis Starkey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport how much funding the Arts Council has given to theatre, in each of the last three years; and what proportion of total Arts Council funding this constituted in each year.

Estelle Morris: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

TV Licence Payments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport whether (a) her Department and (b) agencies responsible to her Department have conducted a recent analysis of the socio-economic groups which are more likely to pay for their television licence by direct debit.

Estelle Morris: Neither the Department for Culture, Media and Sport nor any agency responsible to the Department have carried out such an analysis recently.

TV Licence Payments

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what estimate she has made of the number of people in (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) the UK who pay for their television licence in a single instalment.

Estelle Morris: TV Licensing, who administer the television licensing system as agents for the BBC, do not record the number of television licences issued by constituency. For the United Kingdom as a whole, approximately nine million licence payers currently pay for their licence in a single instalment.

VisitBritain Website

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what assessment she has made of the likely impact of the proposed VisitBritain online accommodation booking system on existing commercial accommodation booking agencies.

Richard Caborn: The Government expects the impact of the EnglandNet information and booking system to be market-neutral. EnglandNet will carry a wide variety of information about attractions and events, as well as details of quality-graded accommodation. It is not designed to replicate the role performed by existing commercial booking agencies. Rather, it will provide such agencies with access to new online marketing opportunities, and make bookings much easier to receive and fulfil. In this, EnglandNet will provide commercial operators with access to the 11 million potential customers who visit VisitBritain's websites each yeara figure set to rise to 20 million by 2007.

VisitBritain Website

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport what guidance she has given to VisitBritain on standards for property which will be made available for booking on the VisitBritain website.

Richard Caborn: The EnglandNet tourism information and e-commerce system is being developed by Networks for Tourism, a company owned by VisitBritain and all the Regional Tourist Boards in England. VisitBritain's shareholding was formerly held by the English Tourism Council.
	Under an agreement between the Council and the Boards on the formation of the company, it is intended that EnglandNet will offer access to the providers of accommodation which has been subject to inspection under a recognised grading scheme. My Department supports that intention, as it will encourage the fullest possible co-ordination of the new marketing opportunities which EnglandNet will provide, with the consumer benefits of grading inspectionparticularly in the light of the in-principle agreement to the adoption of common grading standards in England, announced by VisitBritain, the Automobile Association and the Royal Automobile Club in May 2004.

Visually Impaired

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport 
	(1)  what recent discussions her Department has had with Ofcom on the needs of the blind and the visually impaired;
	(2)  if she will make it her policy to ensure that Ofcom consults widely with the visually impaired.

Estelle Morris: The Department is in contact with Ofcom on these issues as necessary.
	In particular, we recently asked Ofcom to review the statutory target for audio description on television and consider whether the 10 per cent. target should be raised. It will be doing this as part of the first review of the code setting out the requirements on broadcasters.
	In drawing up this code, Ofcom has a specific statutory obligation to consult those representing the interests of persons who are blind or partially sighted.
	More generally, Ofcom has statutory duties to establish and maintain effective arrangements for consultation; to have regard to the needs of persons with disabilities; to include among appointees to the Consumer Panel persons who are able to give informed advice about the interests of persons with disabilities; and to establish an advisory committee on elderly and disabled persons.

DEFENCE

Defence Industry Jobs

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many jobs in the UK are (a) directly and (b) indirectly dependent on the UK defence industry, broken down by constituency.

Adam Ingram: The latest estimate is that in 200203 there were 165,000 full-time equivalent jobs in the United Kingdom in those companies that receive contracts directly from the Ministry of Defence or for defence exports dependent on those contracts, and 140,000 indirectly dependent in the supply chain. More detailed figures separating those involved with employment on MOD equipment, MOD non-equipment, and defence exports are produced by the Defence Analytical Services Agency (DASA) in Table 1.9, UK Defence Statistics 2004: this is available in the Library of the House. Figures are not available broken down by constituency and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Northern Ireland

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers, excluding the Royal Irish Regiment, are serving in Northern Ireland.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 November 2004
	The number of Army personnel, excluding from the Royal Irish Regiment (Home Service), stationed in Northern Ireland at the 30 September 2004 was 6,710.
	The GOC NI also has under his command troops that are rear based in Great Britain that can be called forward to the Province as and when required. In addition, other troops can be made available to the GOC NI from Land Command if required, for example, during the marching season.

Redress Procedures

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with respect to (a) the Army, (b) the Naval Service and (c) the Royal Air Force how many personnel have initiated redress procedures since 1997; and in how many cases in (i) the Army, (ii) the Naval Service and (iii) the Royal Air Force the complainant has been successful.

Ivor Caplin: Information is not held in the form requested. The Services only maintain centrally statistics for the number of complaints considered by their Service Board. The Naval Service considered 50 complaints between 2001 and 2003, of which seven were upheld and three were partially upheld. The Army considered 197 complaints between 1999 and 2003, of which 49 were upheld and 14 were partially upheld. The RAF considered 349 complaints between 1997 and 2003 (230 of which arose in 2002 concerning the introduction of Pay 2000) and upheld 16; eight were partially upheld.

Royal Irish Regiment

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) part-time and (b) full-time soldiers are serving with each of the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 November 2004
	As at 1 October 2004 the number of part-time and full-time trained officers and soldiers serving with the home service battalions of the Royal Irish Regiment was:
	
		
			  (a) Part-time (b) Full-time 
		
		
			 2nd Royal Irish Battalion 410 570 
			 3rd Royal Irish Battalion 390 590 
			 4th Royal Irish Battalion 440 540 
		
	
	Note:
	All figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	In addition to those personnel serving in the Home Service (HS) Battalions, there are less than 10 part-time and 380 full-time Royal Irish personnel serving with other units in Northern Ireland.

24-5-T

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received from former servicemen who served in Malaysia concerning the long-term health effects of exposure to chemical 24-5-T; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

40 Commando

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much notice 40 Commando would need to be deployed to the US controlled zone in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Advisers/Consultants

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department and its agencies and non-departmental public bodies spent on (a) external consultants and (b) special advisers in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Forces (Costs)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) personnel and (b) equipment and maintenance costs of (i) an Armoured Infantry (Warrior) Battalion, (ii) an Airportable Infantry Battalion, (iii) a Parachute Regiment Battalion and (iv) a Gurkha Regiment Battalion were in the last period for which figures are available.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces (Costs)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the projected costs between 2008 and 2013 are of a (a) Heavy (Warrior) Battalion, with high-tech upgrade, (b) Medium (FRES) Battalion, with heavy-lift aircraft capability and (c) Light (Airportable) Battalion, with high-tech network-capable upgrade.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces (Costs)

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what estimate the Department has made of the financial effects of the proposed restructuring process between 2008 and 2013.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Armed Forces (Procurement)

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on planned procurement for the (a) Army, (b) Royal Air Force and (c) Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Armed Services (Voter Registration)

Peter Viggers: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many service personnel are registered to vote.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 8 November 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 4 November 2004, Official Report, column 374W, to the hon. Member for Chichester (Mr. Tyrie).

Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of (a) an armoured infantry (warrior) battalion, (b) an air-portable infantry battalion, (c) a parachute regiment battalion and (d) a Gurkha regiment battalion was in the last year for which figures are available, broken down by (i) personnel and (ii) equipment and maintenance.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Army

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the projected costs per annum of the proposed new (a) heavy (warrior) battalion with high-tech upgrade, (b) medium (future rapid effect system) battalion with heavy-lift aircraft capability and (c) light (air-portable) battalion with high-tech network capable upgrade; and what estimate the Department has made of possible savings to be made from the proposed restructuring process.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Army

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) soldiers and (b) officers have been (i) charged and (ii) disciplined for (A) bullying offences and (B) failing to investigate allegations of bullying since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: There is no specific charge under the Army Act 1955 for bullying or failing to investigate allegations of bullying.

Army Medal Office

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many staff are employed in the Army Medal Office; whether they are working overtime to clear the backlog of cases; and what the standard of service laid down for applicants is.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Army Medal Office

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many applications have been received for General Service Medals in each of the last 12 months; and how long it is taking to process them on average.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Army Medal Office

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Mr. A. Fairclough of Verwood, Dorset will receive the General Service Medal for his service in the Suez Canal Zone; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Army Strength

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what period between operational tours is expected when there are 36 infantry battalions.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Army Strength

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) Army personnel and (b) civilians were working for the Army in July; and what the current total is.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Asbestos Contamination

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the principal areas covered by departmental files contaminated by asbestos.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asbestos Contamination

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many files contaminated with asbestos he estimates to be accessible to the public under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asbestos Contamination

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what effects asbestos contamination of his Department's files will have on access to those files under the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asbestos Contamination

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when his Department discovered that certain of its files had become contaminated by asbestos; and what action was taken in response to enable those files to be used.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asbestos Contamination

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to decontaminate those of his Department's files which have become contaminated by asbestos; and what he estimates the cost of such decontamination to be.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Beer (Official Functions)

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on the serving of beer at official functions.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Black Watch

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers in 1st Battalion Black Watch have been fined by the Army since July; and on what grounds.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Black Watch

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the level of pay for soldiers of 1st Battalion Black Watch involved in the redeployment in Iraq will be (a) higher and (b) lower than the level of pay before the redeployment.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Black Watch

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which media outlets are attached to the Black Watch battle group in Iraq; and what security arrangements have been made for them.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 16 November 2004
	The media groups attached to the Black Watch Battle Group include BBC News, Sky News, ITV News and Channel 4 News. The journalists are embedded with the Battle Group and remain with armed service personnel at all times. All embedded media personnel are required to wear helmets and body-armour, which are provided for them if they are unable to bring their own.

Black Watch

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether a senior officer of the Black Watch expressed his concern in advance about the recent deployment of the regiment; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Bullying

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what statistics are retained by the Special Investigation Branch of the Royal Military Police on completed investigations of allegations of bullying in the Army.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Bullying

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the barracks at which allegations of bullying have been investigated in the last year for which figures are available; and how many of these complaints (a) were unfounded, (b) were founded and (c) led to disciplinary or other action.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Cadet Units (Remembrance Sunday)

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what guidance was given to cadet units in the South East of England on carrying firearms on Remembrance Sunday; what role Ministers had in issuing guidance; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Cheshire/QLR Regiments

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people were recruited to (a) the Cheshire Regiment and (b) the Queen's Lancashire Regiment in the last 10 years.

Ivor Caplin: The following table shows the numbers of soldiers who joined the Cheshire Regiment and the Queens Lancashire Regiment on the completion of their training for the last four financial years (April to March). Statistics prior to this period are not available.
	
		
			 Financial year Cheshire Regiment Queen's Lancashire Regiment 
		
		
			 200001 64 92 
			 200102 75 78 
			 200203 56 117 
			 200304 72 104

Chinook Helicopters

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what testing procedures were carried out on the eight Chinook helicopters ordered in 1995 after they were received by his Department and prior to their active use by the armed forces.

Adam Ingram: We have a complex and wide-ranging acceptance procedure, which includes independent third party advice, to ensure that the platform meets the performance standards contracted for and complies with United Kingdom safety standards. The Ministry of Defence has contracted with our independent advisers QinetiQ Boscombe Down to undertake this work.

Civilian/Enemy Deaths

Mark Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms the Army has in place to calculate the numbers of (a) civilian and (b) enemy dead in a prolonged conflict situation.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Colombian Army

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent UK military aid has been given to (a) the 1st Division of the Colombian Army and (b) the brigades and battalions that comprise that division; and which programmes this aid is funding.

Adam Ingram: The Colombian Army 1st Division has recently received no specific British military assistance. UK military assistance provided to the Colombian Army is focused on specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal units and the provision of British military education to selected individuals, such as at the Royal College of Defence Studies, which introduces British defence concepts, including human rights and democratic accountability of armed forces.

Colombian Army

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which Colombian army units have received military (a) training and (b) assistance in each of the last five years; and what the financial value of each was in each year.

Adam Ingram: United Kingdom military assistance provided to the Colombian army is focused on specialist Explosive Ordnance Disposal units and the provision of British military education to selected individuals, such as at the Royal College of Defence Studies, which introduces British Defence concepts, including human rights and democratic accountability of armed forces.
	In financial years 200304 and 200405 the cost of military assistance provided by the UK to the Colombian armed forces was around 120,000 per year.
	This information for previous years is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Colonel Terrington

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether United States authorities have sought to interview Colonel Terrington.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Combat Wear

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what penalties apply to companies awarded contracts to supply combat wear to his Department where the specifications are not met.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence has the right to reject any items, which do not meet the requirements of the specification. Should the contractor fail to rectify this failure the Department has the right to claim damages as allowable under law, purchase the items in default from an alternative source with the contractor paying any additional cost incurred by MOD and ultimately, should this failure continue, to terminate the contract.

Commencement of Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Complaints

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what obstacles prevent the Army from (a) maintaining a central record of internal complaints and (b) establishing a database or other system of categorisation that would assist an annual audit of the (i) exercise of the duty of care and (ii) working of the disciplinary system.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Conferences

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many (a) non-Ministerial staff and (b) special advisers in his Department attended conferences (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad in the year to 29 February; and what the cost of attending these conferences was, broken down by (A) travel costs, (B) food and drink, (C) accommodation and (D) miscellaneous costs.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 18 March 2004
	This information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. All staff travel and attendance at conferences is undertaken in accordance with Service and civilian regulations.

Conferences

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many conferences were hosted by his Department in the year to 29 February; and what the cost of these conferences was, broken down by (a) travel costs, (b) food and drink, (c) accommodation and (d) miscellaneous costs.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 18 March 2004
	This information is not held centrally in the form requested and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. Conferences and their associated costs are organised in accordance with departmental regulations.

Conferences

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many conferences (a) he and (b) other Ministers in his Department attended (i) in the UK and (ii) abroad in the year to 29 February; and what the cost of attending these conferences was, broken down by (A) travel costs, (B) food and drink, (C) accommodation and (D) miscellaneous costs.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 18 March 2004
	The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, since 1999 the Government have published an annual list of all visits overseas undertaken by Cabinet Ministers costing 500 or more during each financial year. The Government have also published on an annual basis the cost of all Ministers' visits overseas. Copies of the lists are available in the Libraries of the House. I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend the Prime Minister on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 466W, which covers ministerial travel overseas for 200304, to my hon. Friend the Member for West Bromwich East (Mr. Watson). All ministerial travel is undertaken in accordance with the rules set out in the Ministerial Code and Travel by Ministers, copies of which are available in the Libraries of the House.

Conferences

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of (a) Major J.A. Kennedy's presentation, Real-time exchange of battlefield digital information, given at the SMI Conference Joint Battlespace Digitization on 20 May 2003, (b) Wing Commander Mike Longstaff and Squadron Leader R.K. Dyson's presentation, Flying Training, given at the SMI Conference Fighter Trainer on 2 June 2003, (c) Sym Taylor's presentation, Effective Management of Spares, given at the SMI Conference Military Spares and Inventory Management on 16 June 2003, (d) Lieutenant Colonel Chris Barkes and Wing Commander Chris Otley-Doe's presentation, Effective and Efficient Control of Material Flow, given at the SMI Conference Military Spares and Inventory Management on 16 June 2003 and (e) Lieutenant Commander Charles Jewitt's presentation on the Joint Modular Storage Concept given at the SMI Conference Military Spares and Inventory Management on 17 June 2003.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much expenditure his Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the press and public relations of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Contractors

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he had with (a) trade union representatives, (b) hon. Members and (c) others relating to the recently completed tender process for single procurement of fabric and garments (i) relating specifically to the tender which Cookson and Clegg were part of and (ii) relating to the tender process in general; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has had discussions with Members of both Houses of Parliament, trades unions, industry and the Department for Trade and Industry in relation to the recent contract award for Cut and Sewn Garments. The discussions have covered both the specific tender referred to and the tender process in general.

Contractors

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received (a) in the last 18 months and (b) since his Department's implementation of smart procurement from UK-based companies with which his Ministry has contracted for the provision of garments and clothing; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Defence has received letters from UK-based companies, either direct or through Members of both Houses of Parliament, regarding the provision of garments and clothing in the last 18 months. The letters have been related, in particular, to the recent contract award for Cut and Sewn Garments.
	There has been similar correspondence since the implementation of smart procurement covering a range of clothing issues and items procured.

Contractors

Peter Pike: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what recent discussions he has had with (a) interested parties and (b) other Departments on the allocation of contracts for clothing and other garments; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: My right hon. Friend has had discussions with a wide range of interested parties and other Departments regarding contracts for clothing and other garments, including members of both Houses of Parliament, trades unions, industry and the Department for Trade and Industry.

Contractors

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence which elements of the Department's cut and sew contract with Cooneen, Watts and Stone Ltd. have been satisfied to date.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Contractors

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on his Department's policy on operating penalties on contractors which fail to deliver on contracts due to (a) quality and (b) time.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer the letter from the hon. Member for Hereford dated 2 April, MC number 1674.

Adam Ingram: I wrote to the hon. Member on 20 July 2004.

Criminal Trials

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers have been tried in the civilian courts since 1980 on criminal charges which have been previously dismissed as unfounded by military authorities.

Adam Ingram: Records are not kept in such a way as to enable ready identification of specific instances where a civil trial has followed the dismissal of charges against a soldier by the chain of command. Although there is one such case currently directed for trial, I am not aware of this having occurred on any previous occasion in any Service.

Cyprus

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what additional duties have been placed upon UK forces serving (a) with the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and (b) along the border between the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus and the Eastern Sovereign Base Area as a result of changes to the treatment of the Green Line caused by the accession of Cyprus to the EU.

Adam Ingram: There have been no additional security duties placed upon the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus due to the accession of Cyprus to the EU. Nor have there been any additional duties placed upon UK forces other than occasional patrols in support of Sovereign Base Area police and customs.

D Notices

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many D notices have been issued to the press requesting restriction of reporting on matters relating to Iraq in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Data Protection

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what procedures are in place (a) to check the criminal records of civil servants in his Department and agencies responsible to his Department who have access to computer databases containing confidential information on the public and (b) to ensure that there can be no improper use of computer databases containing confidential information on the public; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Databases

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the fields of the (a) Force Structure database, (b) Procurement Plans database and (c) Defence Bills Authority databases.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Defence Attachs

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the answer of 30 June 2004, Official Report, column 350W, on Defence Attachs, what the reasons are for the change in the amount of time devoted by Defence Attaches to supporting military exports from the 40 per cent. estimated in 1989 by the National Audit Office.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Defence Crisis Management Organisation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of Human Rights Watch reports that British forces failed to secure containers filled with weapons near to the old airport in Basra in May 2003.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 8 November 2004
	The alleged incident occurred less than one week after the end of the war-fighting phase of Operation Telic. It would have been reasonable at that time for the Commanding Officer concerned to make the decision that his current operational commitments did not allow him to release forces for guarding Iraqi ammunition stores. Human Rights Watch reported at the time that the International Committee of the Red Cross had found at least 30 locations in Basrah, which contained abandoned munitions. It would not have been possible to provide site protection for all of these sites while carrying out all the other urgent tasks allocated to British forces at that time.
	After the end of the conflict, British forces in south-eastern Iraq instituted information campaigns to educate the local population about the dangers of handling unexploded munitions. Explosive Ordnance Disposal teams also began the enormous task of clearing stockpiles such as the one reported by Human Rights Watch.

Defence Logistics

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress has been made in establishing a system of asset tracking for Defence logistics.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Defence Procurement Agency

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are in place in the Defence Procurement Agency for the passing of information and expertise between support groups and the integrated projects teams responsible for equipment procurement.

Adam Ingram: There are 20 Support Groups within the Defence Procurement Agency (DPA) who are responsible for providing technical, financial and commercial policy advice to the Agency's Integrated Project Teams (IPTs). In addition to supporting the DPA IPTs, many Support Groups provide support to the wider Department and to industry.
	Support Groups promulgate their advice and policy through the Department's Acquisition Management System (AMS) in the first instance. The AMS is a web-based system that provides a framework for more detailed guidance, often in the form of Joint Service Publications or Defence Standards. The AMS is available via the internet and is used extensively by industry.
	The individual Support Groups employ a variety of means for providing information and support directly to IPTs; these include bulletin boards, helplines, seminars and guidebooks. Where appropriate, individual Support Group personnel may become 'associate members' of IPTs.
	Support Group personnel are involved in the delivery of training to IPTs and participate in a number of courses. Support Groups and IPTs also contribute to a process called 'Learning From Experience' where lessons learned are captured in a database for others to draw from.
	Finally, the best way of sharing expertise between Support Groups and IPTs is for staff to move between them during their career. This assists in the development of policy and guidance that is aligned to the needs of IPTs.

Defence Projects

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) category A, (b) category B and (c) category C projects of his Department that have received (i) initial gate and (ii) main gate approval since 31 March 1997; and when approval was achieved.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Defence Science and Technology Laboratories

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the impact of the European Commission's REACH chemical regulations on the work of the Defence Science and Technology Laboratories at Porton Down; and what representations he has made to the Commission.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Dentists

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many non-UK Commonwealth citizens practice as dentists in the (a) Army, (b) RAF and (c) Royal Navy.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Department Account Codes

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's account codes.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Consultants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 200304 financial year.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies, since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Expenditure Limit

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  pursuant to paragraph 65 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 200304, HC 1080, when his Department was first subject to a cash Departmental Expenditure Limit; and what that limit was;
	(2)  if he will list the cash demanding activities referred to in paragraph 65 of his Department's Annual Report and Accounts 200304, HC 1080, that were constrained in financial year 200304.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Heating

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) total energy use and (b) total cost has been of heating his Department's headquarters in Whitehall in each year since 1990.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Heating

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he has taken to cut heat loss in his Department's headquarters in Whitehall; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Heating

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what steps he takes to ensure that the buildings comprising his Department's headquarters in Whitehall are heated according to occupancy and climatic conditions rather than a standard date and time.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental IT

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what plans are in place to raise this level.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Lighting

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost of providing lighting for his Department's headquarters in Whitehall has been for each year since 1990.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Lighting

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy that lights within his Department's headquarters in Whitehall should remain on, irrespective of room occupancy.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Offices

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost of (a) decoration and (b) refurbishment of the London offices of the Department was in each of the last four years.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Departmental Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people in his Department earn more than a whole-time equivalent salary of 57,485 per year.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 856W, by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly).

Departmental Staff

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of the staff of the Department in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003 were people with disabilities.

Ivor Caplin: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 9 November 2004, Official Report, column 619W by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly).

E-business Strategy

Oliver Heald: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects to produce his Department's e-business strategy.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Employment Costs

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will estimate the average employment cost of (a) an officer, (b) a member of other ranks, (c) a non-industrial civil servant and (d) an industrial civil servant in 200405.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Enhanced Combat Body Armour

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will write to the hon. Member for Portsmouth, South as promised in his answer of 1 April 2004, Official Report, column 11W, on enhanced combat body armour.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Equatorial Guinea

Michael Ancram: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  when officials in his Department were first informed of the attempted coup plot in Equatorial Guinea;
	(2)  what contingency plans were drawn up by his Department (a) unilaterally and (b) in conjunction with other countries for the evacuation of British nationals and others from Equatorial Guinea immediately prior to the attempted coup earlier this year;
	(3)  which United Kingdom forces were within (a) 500 miles and (b) 1,000 miles of Equatorial Guinea (i) before and (ii) during the attempted coup earlier this year.

Adam Ingram: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer given today by my right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary about when the Government became aware of the alleged coup in Equatorial Guinea.
	In this case no contingency planning was considered necessary because the majority of Entitled Personnel were covered by commercial evacuations plans, and the remainder would have been evacuated by the French under the updated civil contingency plan.
	Throughout the period there were no operational UK forces in the Gulf of Guinea area other than British Military Training Teams in Ghana and Nigeria, and Defence Advisers/Attaches in Ghana, Nigeria and the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Equipment Contracts

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the date of contract signature for the (a) Support Vehicle, (b) Light Forces Anti-Tank Guided Weapon Systems, (c) Next Generation Anti-Armour Weapon and (d) Terrier projects are.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Falkland Islands (Landmines)

Brian Cotter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what progress the Government is making towards meeting its obligation under the Ottawa Treaty to clear landmines from the Falkland Islands by 2009.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 November 2004, Official Report, column 343W by the Secretary of State for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Family Liaison

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what measures he has taken in the past year to improve communications between the Army and bereaved relatives of soldiers who have died while serving; and how many persons, of what rank, are employed in family liaison.

Ivor Caplin: We constantly review our procedures to ensure that they are sensitive to families' needs. A number of measures have been taken recently, including the formation of the Army Widows Association, to provide a focus for widows to share a common understanding of their circumstances, and the issue of a Guidance in Bereavement booklet, which offers help and guidance for families of servicemen or women who die while in Service. Also, much more robust arrangements for long-term contact through the Casualty Visiting Officer have been introduced.
	A wide range of personnel are employed on family liaison but details are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Freedom of Information Act

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 16 November 2004
	The Ministry of Defence has made wide-ranging preparations for the full implementation of the Freedom of Information Act. The cost of compliance is being met from existing resources, and there has been no requirement to identify anticipated costs or to collate them centrally. To collect the necessary information now would involve disproportionate cost, and the final part of Exemption 9 (voluminous or vexatious requests) of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information therefore applies.
	Implementation of the Act principally involves staff who also have other duties. The effort which they devote to Freedom of Information issues in the first quarter of 2005 will depend on a range of factors, including the number of requests for information received in each area, the complexity of those requests, the ease with which it can be established whether relevant information is held, and the number of appeals lodged by dissatisfied requesters.

Funded Liability

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence, what the funded liability is for (a) officers and (b) other ranks in the Army in (i) each year since 1997, (ii) 200405 and (iii) 200506; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

General Election (Overseas Voters)

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what action he is taking to ensure that the armed forces serving abroad are able to vote in a general election.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence issues a Defence Council Instruction explaining the procedures for electoral registration and notifies personnel of election announcements. Those overseas, or absent from their normal place of duty or home in the United Kingdom, have the option to appoint a proxy or elect for a postal vote.

General Security of Information Agreement

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what date each amendment made in the last 30 years to the General Security of Information Agreement between the United Kingdom and United States, dated 14 April 1961, was made; and through which designated security authorities information under this agreement is channelled.

Geoff Hoon: The 1961 United Kingdom/United States General Security Agreement concerns the protection of any classified information exchanged between the parties and not just defence information. As the UK National Security Authority the Cabinet Office is the ultimate UK authority for this Agreement. Amendments were made to this Agreement on 5 July and 19 December 1983. In April 1984 the Ministry of Defence (MOD) and the US Department of Defense (DoD) negotiated a supplement to the Agreement covering an industrial security annex. This annex was reviewed and replaced last year when a new Security Implementing Arrangement for operations between the MoD and the DoD was signed on 27 January 2003. Information received by UK Government Departments under the 1961 Agreement is normally transmitted through Government channels and falls under the responsibility of the respective departmental security officer. Each UK Government Department has available to it guidance governing the handling of sensitive material generally, including that which is issued by international organisations or governed by international Agreements.

Geneva Convention

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list those practices which are not specifically prohibited by the Geneva Convention but which he classifies as unacceptable and not to be followed by United Kingdom service personnel.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether all government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 16 November 2004
	Four.

Guantanamo Bay

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates representatives of his Department visited British nationals detained at Guantanamo Bay; whether he has received adverse reports on the welfare of detainees or allegations of ill-treatment; what representations he made on behalf of the prisoners; and what action he took to make his concerns known to relatives or legal representatives of those detained.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Gurkha Soldiers

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Gurkha soldiers are serving in the British Army.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Gurkha Soldiers

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many payments under the ex gratia compensation scheme for former Far East prisoners of the Japanese have been made to former Gurkhas.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Harrier Aircraft

John Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will undertake an independent investigation into (a) delays and (b) difficulties encountered in repairing ZD402, ZD376, ZD470, ZD472, ZD408, ZD404 and ZD466 at RAF Cottesmore.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Hooding

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many hoods (a) have been ordered by his Department and (b) are available to British troops for use after arrest and during detention of military combatants in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Human Rights Abusers

Tom Brake: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are used to ensure that known human rights abusers do not receive military training or assistance from the UK Government.

Adam Ingram: Where there have been concerns about a country's armed forces' human rights record, UK military defence assistance and training normally includes targeted security sector reform activity aimed at helping to ensure that the relevant armed forces operate in an accountable manner fully respecting human rights.

Hurricane Ivan

George Foulkes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assistance his Department has offered to islands affected by Hurricane Ivan in the Caribbean; and what plans he has for providing further assistance.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my right hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

India

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) dates and (b) purpose of his recent visit to India were; who accompanied him; and how much the visit cost.

Geoff Hoon: I visited India and Pakistan from 48 October 2004. The primary purpose of the visit to India was to meet the new Indian Defence Minister, Shri Pranab Mukherjee. As set out in the Prime Ministers' Declaration of 20 September 2004, the United Kingdom has an important relationship with India; maintaining high-level contacts is a key strand of the defence element of the relationship.
	I was accompanied to India by my wife, three Ministry of Defence officials (a Private Secretary, a policy official, and a telecommunications specialist), my special adviser and Metropolitan Police protection officers.
	The total cost to the MOD of the visit was 78,503.

Infantry

Ann Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether there has been (a) a cap and (b) a restriction on recruitment for the infantry in the last three years.

Ivor Caplin: There have been control measures placed on all levels of the Army, including the infantry, over the last three years to meet adjustments to funding allocations. However, recruiting has not ceased.

Infantry

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what percentage of infantry recruits from Scotland failed to complete their training courses in (a) each of the last five years during which Scottish infantry recruits were trained at Glencorse and (b) each year since their training has been carried out at Catterick.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 16 November 2004
	Data is not held centrally on the historical percentages of infantry recruits from Scotland who failed to complete their training courses and will need to be collated from various sources. I will write to the hon. Member when the information has been collated and place a copy in the Library of the House.

Infantry

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Scottish infantry recruits committed suicide during their training (a) during the last 20 years during which their training was carried out at Glencorse and (b) during each year since their training has been carried out at Catterick.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Infantry

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) expected enrolment, (b) actual enrolment, (c) recruitment and (d) lost strength was for each infantry regiment in the latest year for which figures are available.

Ivor Caplin: The following table shows the numbers of soldiers enlisted, the enlistment target and phase 2 trained output for the three career employment groups (CEG) for the Infantry; the Guards, Line and Para and the corresponding outflow figure from the Field Army for financial year 200304, the last full year that figures are available.
	
		Soldiers
		
			 Infantry Enlistment target Enlisted Phase 2 trained output to the field army Outflow from field army 
		
		
			 Guards 530 700 530 470 
			 Line 2,510 3,600 2,510 2,430 
			 Para 190 450 190 300 
		
	
	Figures for officers for the corresponding period are as follows.
	
		Officers
		
			 Infantry RMAS output to the field army Outflow from field army 
		
		
			 Guards 35 20 
			 Line 158 120 
			 Para 14 20 
		
	
	Information on targets and enlistments for soldiers to Infantry Regiments is not available in the format requested. The Army Training and Recruiting Agency is tasked to recruit to the three Infantry CEGs and not to Regiments, as capbadges for soldiers are only allocated by the Field Army on completion of training. For officers, the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst (RMAS) is given a target for commissioned officers to the Army generally and not to specific regiments. Officers are only allocated a capbadge in their third term.
	Notes:
	1. Figures include regular Army personnel only. 2. Outflow figures include absence without leave. 3. Figures do not include transfers from the Infantry into other arms/services. 4. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10 for presentational purposes. 5. For officers, the outflow figures exclude colonels and above.

Iran

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement on the Shatt Al Arab incident, of 30 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1213WS, whether ill-treatment, other than blindfolding, has been reported by British servicemen seized by the Iranian authorities.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iran

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the written ministerial statement on the Shatt Al Arab incident, of 30 June 2004, Official Report, columns 1213WS, what assessment he has made of the likelihood of determining the position of the three boats at the time of seizure if the global positioning equipment on board is not returned.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Teddy Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many British soldiers have been (a) killed and (b) injured in Iraq since the beginning of the conflict; and how many of these injuries were caused (i) by friendly fire, (ii) in accidents and (iii) in combat.

Geoff Hoon: holding answer 15 November 2004
	74 British service personnel have died while deployed in Iraq. This includes 49 who have been killed in action, of which seven were the result of blue-on-blue incidents. The remaining 25 died from other causes, including accidents, natural causes and incidents which are still under investigation.
	Prior to August 2004, we did not hold centrally figures for the total number of injuries sustained by service personnel, or the causes of those injuries. Minor injuries or illnesses suffered by personnel who were treated in theatre and then returned to duty were not recorded other than on individual service records. Since August 2004, 65 injuries have been sustained as a result of hostile action. Statistics are not collected for injuries sustained for other reasons.

Iraq

Hugo Swire: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the maximum possible blast radius is of bombs available for use by United Kingdom troops in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what roles Iraqi troops are undertaking in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will reply to the question, ref 148636, on sick pay in his Department, tabled by the hon. Member for Wycombe on 13 January 2004.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what papers he has submitted to Lord Butler's inquiry into intelligence on Iraq; and whether (a) officials and (b) Ministers have given oral evidence to the inquiry.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on the progress that the NATO Training Implementation Mission in Iraq has made in the training of Iraqi security forces (a) inside and (b) outside Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1542W, whether the United Kingdom officer participated in the drafting of Combined Joint Task Force 7's counter-resistance and interrogation policy.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1543W, whether Colonel Terrington and Colonel Campbell-James were second in command to Major General Barbara Fast.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether (a) Colonel Chris Terrington and (b) Colonel Campbell-James embedded within US military intelligence saw Interrogation and Counter-Resistance Policy documents produced by Combined Joint Task Force 7 (i) before and (ii) after it was issued.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when British service personnel first became aware of allegations of mistreatment of detainees at Abu Ghraib.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether any British officer or official has been interviewed as part of the Taguba or Fay inquiries into detainee abuse.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1542W, on Iraq, what specific tasks the United Kingdom officer referred to undertook as part of Colonel Warren's team.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1542W, on Iraq, for how long the UK officer worked with Colonel Warren.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 14 September 2004, Official Report, column 1542W, on Iraq, if he will give the name and rank of the UK officer who worked with Colonel Warren.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussions he has had with (a) his United States counterpart and (b) the Chief of British Defence Forces in Iraq in respect of the need (i) to protect Iraqi nuclear sites from looters and (ii) to stop components from Iraqi nuclear sites being removed illegally from Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Douglas Hogg: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions in each month since March 2003 British forces in Iraq (a) opened fire, (b) were fired upon and (c) were the subject of bomb attacks; how many casualties British forces (i) inflicted and (ii) sustained; and how many rounds of ammunition, including ammunition of a heavy calibre, British forces, including air units, expended in each month.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the right hon. and learned Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 64W, on Iraq, whether Colonel Terrington was aware that the investigation was of a disciplinary nature involving the conduct of US troops.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 64W, on Iraq, whether Colonel Terrington discussed the investigation with LTC Jordan.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 64W, on Iraq, whom Colonel Terrington informed about the investigation; and on what dates.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his reply of 11 October 2004, Official Report, column 64W, on Iraq, when Colonel Terrington was made aware of the investigation; and by whom.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many UK service personnel have seen active service in Iraq since the beginning of hostilities; and how many have been issued with the aide memoire referred to in the answer to the hon. Member for Hull North (Mr. McNamara) on 4 October, Official Report, column 1879W.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 26 October 2004
	Around 87,000 service personnel were deployed in support of Operation Telic between 18 January 2003 and 31 August 2004. This figure includes sailors and airmen, many of whom were not directly involved in combat, around 54,500 soldiers were deployed during that time. During the first phase of Operation Telic from 18 January 2003 to 2 May 2003, which included the major combat operations, around 48,500 service personnel were deployed, of which around 29,000 were from the Army. A significant number of these would not have been directly involved in combat.
	20,000 aide memoire cards were produced in the original print run between February and early March 2003. These were distributed as a priority to ground troops who were expected to be involved in combat, but were available to other units as well.
	Since the end of the war-fighting phase of Operation Telic the responsibility for printing and distributing the cards has passed to individual units. Information on how many have been printed and distributed since the initial print run is not held centrally, and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Iraq

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when Ministers were first provided with United States plans for the invasion of Iraq which contained references to P-day, A-day and G-day.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on UK troops liability to the Ottawa Treaty on landmines when acting (a) alone and (b) in association with US forces, with specific reference to Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his oral statement of 27 May, on Iraq, whether the Royal Military Police personnel assisting in training the Iraqi Police Service will assist in the training of the Iraqi Prison Service.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will ask the US Administration to furnish him with information on the (a) numbers and (b) type of aerial attacks on Falluja between 1 and 15 November.

Geoff Hoon: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Iraq

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the recent reports in The Lancet concerning the number of civilians killed since the invasion of Iraq.

Chris Mullin: I have been asked to reply.
	My right hon. Friend the Foreign Secretary issued a written statement on 17 November 2004, Official Report, columns 9295WS, concerning the report in The Lancet.

Iraq

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what definition of cause is used in assessing whether deaths and injuries of Iraqi civilians are caused by UK service personnel.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what arrangements will be put in place to protect refugees from the Fallujah area in the event of conflict there; how civilians will be distinguished from insurgents; what the role of the Black Watch will be in respect of (a) civilian refugees and (b) escaping insurgents; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether Coalition forces plan to keep a count of casualties arising from the possible conflict in the Falluja area of Iraq; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Tam Dalyell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many prisoners in British military custody have been transferred to US custody since September 2001, including those transferred under the auspices of the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq; and what assurances about their rights and treatment were sought from the US authorities.

Adam Ingram: holding reply 19 July 2004
	341 Prisoners of War taken by United Kingdom forces in Iraq were handed over to the US in April 2003. All but three were subsequently released. The cases of the remaining three are being considered by the Central Criminal Court of Iraq. We have also detained around 2,000 security internees since the end of the conflict. Between April 2003 and December 2003, they were held by the US. All but one of those individuals were either returned to UK custody or released.
	The UK Government takes its responsibilities to safeguard individuals taken into custody by UK forces very seriously. In March 2003, the UK and US Governments agreed a Memorandum of Understanding which contains mutual assurances on the treatment of all transferred persons in Iraq and confirms that such persons are entitled to the full protection of the Geneva Conventions.
	During the period from April 2003 to December 2003, when large numbers of UK-held persons were in US custody at Camp Bucca, their treatment was monitored continuously by a UK Prisoner Monitoring Team and Prisoner of War Registration Unit. The UK team were not aware of any incidents of deliberate detainee mistreatment at the Camp.

Iraq

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many reports have been prepared on British-run military and civilian prisons in Iraq; how many have been sent to him; how many he has read and commented on; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what requests were made by his Department to the Department for International Development for staff to assist with the planning for post-conflict Iraq; and what the response was in each case.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence and the Department for International Development staff have worked closely together at all levels since before the Iraq conflict on the range of post-conflict planning issues.

Iraq

Desmond Swayne: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what security clearance was given to civilians with expertise in infrastucture to enable them to attend military planning meetings, prior to the commencement of military operations in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: All civilians involved in planning for Operation Telic possessed security clearances appropriate to their level of access to information.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to the statement of 7 January, Official Report, column 138WH, on post-war Iraq, if he will list each unit involved in incidents of alleged or possible fatalities, broken down by (a) the number of cases recorded and (b) the state of investigation; how long the investigation has taken in each case; and what the outcome was of each completed investigation.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations the Government has made to the US Administration about treatment of Iraqi prisoners.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the right hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what reports he has received about abuses of Iraqi prisoners at Umm Qasr prison; what part was played by UK armed forces, including interrogators; over what period these abuses took place; over what period UK forces were operating at the prison; when reports of abuses were (a) first and (b) subsequently communicated to UK personnel; how such reports of abuses at the prison were dealt with; how the political officer of the British Armed Forces dealt with this matter when it was reported to him on 1 April 2004; how his report on this was dealt with; when Ministers received (i) first and (ii) subsequent reports of abuse; and if he will make a statement.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many cases being made by Iraqi men or women against British military forces serving in Iraq are of alleged (a) deaths, (b) physical abuse and (c) unacceptable behaviour; how many of these complaints (i) have been investigated and (ii) are still under investigation; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what communications his Department has had with other Arab nations regarding the allegations of abuse of Iraqi prisoners.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what strategy his Department will use to deal with the anti-Coalition sentiment stemming from the allegations of abuses of Iraqi prisoners.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Glenda Jackson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his statement in reply to the hon. Member for Mid-Sussex, of 10 May 2004, Official Report, column 27, what prompted ministerial instructions that investigations should take place.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Iraq

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on what dates the International Committee of the Red Cross approached the Coalition Provisional Authority in Iraq regarding the treatment of prisoners of war by Coalition forces in Iraq.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Joint Personnel Administration System

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many companies were invited to tender for the introduction of the Joint Personnel Administration system; on what basis the winner was chosen; how much weight was given to their previous record; what the original estimate was of the (a) cost and (b) expected in-service delivery date; what the current estimate is of each; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: The Joint Personnel Administration (JPA) system is being introduced through an amendment to the service personnel administration contract won competitively by EDS Defence in 1997 that expires in 2009, when it will be re- competed.
	The decision to introduce JPA via an amendment to the existing contract with EDS was made in February 2004 and took account of EDS's satisfactory performance to date on service personnel administration. The amended contract was subject to EDS completing 15 million of risk reduction work and to a satisfactory commercial agreement.
	The estimated cost for EDS for build and transition to JPA was 122 million (from contract amendment onwards) with a full in-service date of April 2007.
	The current estimate is that EDS costs for JPA build and transition will be around 112 million, with a full in-service date of November 2006. This cost to bring in JPA is in addition to the ongoing cost of providing personnel administration services.

Lance Corporal Ian Blaymire

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the transcript will be available of the court martial proceedings against Lance Corporal Ian Blaymire; and if he will place a copy in the Library.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 11 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Management Groups

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the responsibilities of the (a) Defence Estates, (b) Deputy Chief Defence Staff (Commitments), (c) Director Special Forces, (d) Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency, (e) Veterans Agency, (f) Surgeon General, (g) Deputy Chief Defence Staff (Personnel), (h) Defence Secondary Care Agency and (i) Defence Dental Agency management groups.

Ivor Caplin: Most defence activity takes place outside the Ministry of Defence Head Office and is managed through 12 Top Level Budget (TLB) holders and five Trading Funds. The Permanent Secretary grants each TLB-holder extensive delegated powers over his/her resources of cash, personnel and infrastructure. Each TLB holder has a 'contract' with the MOD head office, known as a Service Delivery Agreement, which specifies the outputs required of that TLB, the resources they are given to deliver these outputs, and the underpinning performance management regime. The responsibilities of the management groupings you requested are listed as follows:
	(a) Defence Estates has a mandate to deliver estate solutions to meet the armed forces' requirements for an estate of the right size and quality. The Defence Housing Executive merged with Defence Estates on 1 April 2004, thus including defence housing in Defence Estate's responsibilities.
	(b) The Main duties of Deputy Chief Defence Staff (Commitments) are to provide Strategic/Military policy and advice to Ministers/Chiefs of Staff, formulate and issue Operational Guidance, including resourcing of available capability, Own and Development of the Joint Enablers and use and develop the defence Crisis Management Organisation.
	(c) The command and management of UK Special Forces.
	(d) The Defence Geographic and Imagery Intelligence Agency is responsible for providing the imagery intelligence and geographic support to Defence policy, planning, operations and training.
	(e) The Veterans Agency is responsible for providing financial and welfare support to war disabled pensioners and to war widow(er)s.
	(f) The Surgeon General is responsible for setting the overall direction and policy on all clinical matters relating to the practice of medicine within the military. He is the most senior serving professional medical officer and is accountable for the overall performance of all Defence Medical Services personnel. The Surgeon General is authorised to direct the single services on the development of medical policies and common standards within their areas of responsibility, and for auditing compliance across the Defence Medical Services.
	(g) The Deputy Chief of Defence Staff (Personnel) is the principal departmental military adviser on Service Personnel policy, including training and education, for all Regular Service personnel.
	(h) This organisation ceased operating on 31 March 2003 following the formation of the Defence Medical Education and Training Agency.
	(i) The Defence Dental Agency is responsible for the delivery of quality dental care for the armed forces and entitled civilians on operations and during peacetime.
	Further information on individual defence agencies is available in the Library of the House of Commons.

Management Groups

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the responsibilities of the (a) Defence Fuels Group, (b) Deputy Chief of Defence Logistics, (c) Defence Communications Services Agency, (d) Defence Logistics Support HQ, (e) Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency, (f) DG Equipment Support (Land), (g) DG Equipment Support Air, (h) Warship Support Agency, (i) Defence Storage and Distribution Agency, (j) Director Land Service Ammunition, (k) Defence Transport and Movement Agency and (l) British Forces Post Office management groups.

Ivor Caplin: Most defence activity takes place outside the Ministry of Defence Head Office and is managed through 12 Top Level Budget (TLB) holders and five Trading Funds. The Permanent Secretary grants each TLB-holder extensive delegated powers over his/her resources of cash, personnel and infrastructure. Each TLB holder has a contract with the MOD head office, known as a Service Delivery Agreement, which specifies the outputs required of that TLB, the resources they are given to deliver these outputs, and the underpinning performance management regime. The responsibilities of the management groupings you requested are listed below:
	(a) The Defence Fuels Group is responsible for the supply and management of fuels, lubricants and gases in support of all three Services.
	(b) The Deputy Chief of Defence Logistics is a person and not an organisation. He assists the Chief of Defence Logistics in managing the Defence Logistics Organisation, in particular chairing its Executive Board.
	(c) The Defence Communication Services Agency maximises Defence operational effectiveness by providing information and assuring the delivery of information solutions within the deployed and fixed environments.
	(d) This organisation is not recognised.
	(e) The Defence Clothing and Textiles Agency is now the Defence Clothing Integrated Project Team. It is the organisation responsible for the development, procurement, and supply management of clothing for the UK armed forces and civilians.
	(f) DG Equipment Support (Land) and (g) DG Equipment Support (Air) have not existed as management groups since 1 April 2004.
	(h) The Warship Support Agency (WSA) exists to provide logistic support to the Royal Navy Fleet and other maritime elements of the UK armed forces that have been passed into service from the Defence Procurement Agency.
	(i) The Defence Storage and Distribution Agency is responsible for providing material distribution, processing and storage service to sustain the fighting power of UK armed forces worldwide.
	(j) The Director Land Service Ammunition ceased as an organisation in April 2000 when it merged with Project Management Ammunition from the Defence Procurement Agency to form the Defence General Munitions (DGM) Integrated Project Team (IPT). The DGM IPT is responsible for the acquisition, supply, management and disposal of all in-service munitions to the three Services.
	(k) The Defence Transport and Movement Agency provides transport and movements services worldwide in peace, crisis and war in order to support UK military capability.
	(l) The British Forces Post Office receives, collects, sorts, secures and delivers classified items to MOD establishments, other Government Departments, List X companies, HM ships and theatres worldwide.
	Further information on individual defence agencies is available in the Library of the House of Commons.

Manning Controls

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the conformity of the practice of administrative discharge through manning controls with (a) European Union legislation, (b) the European Convention on Human Rights and (c) the Employment Rights Act 1966.

Ivor Caplin: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he expects the Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) Project to complete its concept phase.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Military Equipment

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much used military (a) clothing, (b) footwear and (c) other personal equipment was reissued to serving personnel in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Air Travel

Roy Beggs: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the total cost of air travel between Northern Ireland and Great Britain was for (a) ministers and (b) officials in his Department in the latest year for which figures are available.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given by my right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Defence, to the hon. Member for Arundel and South Downs (Mr. Flight) on 20 November 2003, Official Report, column 1272. I will write to the hon. Member regarding the costs for financial year 200304 and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Visits

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list visits made by each Minister in the Department between December 2003 and April 2004, broken down by (a) date, (b) constituency visited and (c) cost.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Ministerial Visits

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  if he will list the travel costs incurred (a) by his Department and (b) by each Minister within his Department, for each of the last 10 years;
	(2)  how much his Department spent on ministerial travel by (a) car, (b) train, (c) aeroplane and (d) helicopter, in each of the last 10 years;
	(3)  how many journeys were made by helicopter by each Minister in his Department in each of the last 10 years; and what the journey length was in each case.

Ivor Caplin: The information requested is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for New Forest, West (Mr. Swayne) today.

Ministers' Private Offices

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the running costs of Ministers' private offices in his Department have been in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: The total cost to the Private Office Budget of the Ministry of Defence Ministers' private offices in financial year 200304 was 2,965,159.10. Data prior to this is no longer centrally held.

Mobile Phones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in his Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

MOD Land

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the land over which his Department acquired rights in Scotland between (a) 1980 and 1990, (b) 1990 and 2000 and (c) 2000 to the present, including areas of foreshore; and if he will make a statement.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Mount Bay and Cardigan Bay Vessels

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what (a) contracted price and (b) in-service date was originally agreed with BAe Systems for the building of the Mount Bay and Cardigan Bay vessels at Govan; what the latest forecasts are; what the reasons for the changes are; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mutual Defence Agreement

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what plans he has to renew the Mutual Defence Agreement with the USA.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Naval Procurement

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  whether his Department's Military Afloat Research and Sustainability programme is covered by his commitment that warships for the Royal Navy will be built in the UK;
	(2)  whether the (a) renewal and (b) replacement of fleet auxiliaries is covered by his commitment that warships for the Royal Navy will be built in the UK.

Adam Ingram: It is Government policy that the fabrication and assembly of new Royal Navy warship hulls should be undertaken in the United Kingdom. Though current Royal Fleet auxiliary ships are not warships they are classed as 'warlike' and options for replacing these ships are being examined. The Military Afloat Reach and Sustainability (MARS) project is at an early stage and no decision has been taken as to what will be procured; however, we expect that MARS ships will probably be 'warlike'.

New Deal

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many personnel the Department has recruited under the New Deal in each of the past five years.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Operation Telic

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many rounds of 7.62 ammunition were issued to (a) Challenger II, (b) Warrior and (c) CVRT crews for their vehicle armament during Operation Telic.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Operational Tours

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the interval between operational tours since 19992000 has been for the (a) Royal Armoured Corps, (b) Royal Artillery, (c) Royal Engineers, (d) Royal Signals and (e) Infantry.

Adam Ingram: The details of operational tour intervals for the (a) Royal Armoured Corps (RAC), (b) Royal Artillery (RA), (c) Royal Engineers (RE), (d) Royal Signals (R Signals) and (e) Infantry since 1999 are not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost. The equivalent details for the RAC, RA and Infantry for the period July 2001 to October 2004 are, however, provided in the tables which have been placed in the Library. It has not been possible to provide the actual tour intervals for RE and R Signals primarily due to the nature of their deployments, which tend to be at sub unit level or below, rather than unit level.
	Deployments have been defined as unaccompanied unit level operational tours.

Paper Recycling

Colin Breed: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list the Department's main suppliers of (a) copier paper, (b) stationery, (c) envelopes and (d) paper for reports; and what the (i) name of each paper used and the (ii) recycled and post consumer recycled content is in each case.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Parachute Accidents

Christopher Chope: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen have been killed in parachute accidents in each of the last two years; and when the last such incident was.

Ivor Caplin: holding answer 15 November 2004
	Between 1 January 2002 and 11 November 2004, six Service personnel have died in parachuting incidents (two in 2002, two in 2003 and two in 2004). Three of these deaths occurred while on duty and three occurred while off duty. The date of the last parachuting death was 12 June 2004.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer the question from the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, ref 169408, of 28 April, about compensation paid to Iraqi civilians.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer the question from the hon. Member for Portsmouth South, ref 166998, tabled on 16 April, about the treatment of prisoners in Iraq.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when he will answer question 174196, tabled on 17 May, on the anthrax and pertussis vaccine.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Pensions

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will make a statement on pensions for veterans of the Royal Army Ordnance Corps (RAOC); and if he will increase pensions for RAOC veterans who retired on or after 1 April 1969.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

PFI/PPP Contracts (Financial Advice)

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many contracts his Department had with (a) Barclays, (b) the Royal Bank of Scotland, (c) UBS Warburg and (d) the Bank of Scotland for advice on private finance initiative and public private partnership contracts in each financial year since 200102; and what fees were paid in each case.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence where (a) battalion headquarters, (b) A, B and C Companies, (c) Support Company and (d) Headquarters Company of Second Battalion of The Princess of Wales's Royal Regiment will be located on (i) 18 November and (ii) 30 November.

Adam Ingram: On current plans The Second Battalion of The Princess of Wales' Royal Regiment (2PWRR) will be located in their barracks in Tern Hill on 18 and 30 November, but will be held at very high readiness for operations in Iraq.

Procurement

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether it is his policy to ensure that hospitality within his Department is sourced from fair trade producers wherever possible within the boundaries set by the public procurement rules.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Productivity

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is for (a) increasing the productivity and (b) cutting the costs of (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies and non-departmental public bodies.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Project ISOLUS

Alan Reid: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list his Department's sites that were investigated as part of Project Isolus but were rejected as unsuitable; and what the reasons for their rejection were in each case.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Radiation Regulations

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will place in the Library a copy of the report prepared by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory at Porton Down entitled Skating on Thin Ice, concerning compliance with radiation regulations by Defence establishments.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

RAF Attacks (Civilian Casualties)

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether RAF planes have been involved in air to ground attacks that have resulted in civilian (a) deaths and (b) casualties since 4 May 2003.

Adam Ingram: holding answer 11 November 2004
	No RAF aircraft have launched any air to ground attacks that have resulted in the death or injury of civilians since May 2003.

RAFT Project

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how much had been spent on the RAFT project at the date of its cancellation; whether an environmental assessment was carried out prior to commencement of the project; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what environmental assessments (a) were carried out before and (b) have been carried out during the lifetime of the RAFT project.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Recycling Targets

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he plans to have statutory recycling targets beyond 200506.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Regimental Strengths

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many regiments are (a) at full strength and (b) over strength.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and a copy of my letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Request for Resources 1

Keith Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether he has an agreement with the Treasury to reimburse his Department for additional wear and tear on equipment bought under Request for Resources 1, owing to exceptional operational use.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Rota/Gibraltar Naval Bases

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many Royal Navy vessels used (a) the Rota naval base and (b) the Gibraltar naval base in the past six months.

Adam Ingram: During the period 1 January until 31 August 2004 Royal Navy vessels have undertaken four visits to Rota Naval Base and 13 visits to Gibraltar Naval Base. The visits to Rota were all undertaken by units allocated to NATO Standing Naval Deployments and programmed directly by NATO. Inclusion of Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels for completeness brings the total of visits to Gibraltar to 20 while the figure for Rota remains unchanged.

Royal Navy

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many serving personnel there are in the Royal Navy; and what the corresponding figures were in each of the last three years.

Adam Ingram: The strength of the Naval Service is published monthly in the Defence Analytical Services Agency publication TSP3, UK Armed Forces Trained Strengths and Requirements, the last published edition of which was as at 1 September 2004.
	As of 1 September 2004, the total strength of the Naval Service was 41,280. The corresponding figures for the previous years were:
	
		
			  Strength of naval service 
		
		
			 1 September 2003 42,220 
			 1 September 2002 42,060 
			 1 September 2001 42,210 
		
	
	These figures are for full time UK regular forces (including both trained and untrained personnel) and full time reserve service personnel (FTRS) and exclude naval activated reservists. Naval Service includes Royal Marines.

Satanism

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what assessment he has made of the compatibility of the practice of Satanism in the armed services with the oath of allegiance sworn by service men and women.

Ivor Caplin: The armed forces make no provision for the practice of Satanism. The beliefs of Service personnel are regarded as a private matter.

Science and Technology Laboratory

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what mechanisms are employed by the Defence Scientific and Technology Laboratory for consulting the Defence Scientific Advisory Council and its subsidiary boards.

Adam Ingram: The Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) maintains a very close working relationship with the Defence Scientific Advisory Council (DSAC).
	The Chief Executive of Dstl is a member of DSAC and each subsidiary board has a Dstl member of staff; the Dstl Technical Director is a member of the DSAC Technology sub board. Additionally, nominated members of Dstl staff are seconded to DSAC working groups which investigate and advise on various areas of the Ministry of Defence technical programme. The reports of the DSAC working groups are circulated to Dstl.
	Members of DSAC attend Dstl technical programme reviews and advise on both the technical programme selection and progress.

Scientific Activities

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how his Department's chief scientific adviser has ensured that the Department's scientific activities are well directed, as recommended in paragraph 7.11 of the Government's science strategy, Investing in Innovation, published in July 2002.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Second World War Anniversary

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when the application forms for local authorities to apply for funding for next year's Second World War celebrations will be available.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Select Committee Recommendations

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many recommendations by parliamentary select committees have been adopted by his Department since June 2001.

Adam Ingram: The recommendations set out in all relevant Select Committee reports are given very careful consideration by Defence Ministers and Ministry of Defence officials and we seek to implement them when we can. However the information requested by my hon. Friend is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Service Personnel (Royal Drivers)

Alan Williams: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many servicemen and women act as drivers to members of the Royal Family; to which members; and from what source they receive remuneration for their service as drivers.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my right hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Service Strengths

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) actual manning and (b) establishment levels of the (i) Royal Navy (excluding the Royal Marines), (ii) Army, (iii) Royal Air force and (iv) Royal Marines were on 31 March.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Ship Sales (Chile)

Andrew Robathan: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what discussion there has been with the Chilean Government about the sale of HMS Norfolk, Marlborough and Grafton.

Adam Ingram: The Ministry of Defence's Disposal Sales Agency has had, and continues to have, exploratory discussions with the Government of Chile relating to the possible sale of three surplus Type 23 frigates, HMS Norfolk, HMS Marlborough and HMS Grafton.

Smallpox Vaccine

Patrick Mercer: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many full, undiluted, tonnes of the smallpox vaccine his Department holds.

Ivor Caplin: The Ministry of Defence holds a strategic stock of vaccine, jointly procured with the Department of Health. We hold sufficient doses to meet our operational requirements.

Special Advisers

Matthew Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many unpaid special advisers the Department has; what their names are; and which Government (a) bodies, (b) committees and (c) strategy groups each unpaid adviser (i) belongs to, (ii) advises and (iii) works alongside.

Adam Ingram: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1380W, by my hon. Friend the Minister for the Cabinet Office (Ruth Kelly).

Special Investigations Branch

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) UK and (b) overseas postings are of officers and soldiers of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Military Police.

Adam Ingram: Officers and soldiers of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch can routinely be posted to the following locations in the UK and overseas: Edinburgh, Catterick, York, Preston, Donnington, Chilwell, Chichester, Preston, Brecon, Colchester, Bulford, Aldershot, Hounslow, Stonehouse, Lisburn, Portadown, Ballykelly, Rheindahlen, Bielefeld, Gtersloh, Hohne, Osnabrck, Sennelager, Cyprus, Canada. In addition, RMP SIB detachments exist in operational theatre such as the Falkland Islands, Gibraltar, Bosnia, Kosovo, Afghanistan, and Iraq.

Special Investigations Branch

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will break down the (a) UK and (b) overseas investigations undertaken in each of the past five years by the Special Investigations Branch by the nature of the incident under investigation.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Special Investigations Branch

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his policy is on the attendance of the Special Investigations Branch of the Royal Military Police at coroners' inquests into deaths it has investigated.

Adam Ingram: A member of the Royal Military Police Special Investigation Branch will appear as a witness at an inquest held by Her Majesty's Coroner if called upon to do so by the Coroner.

Statutory Sick Pay

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people employed in his Department have claimed statutory sick pay for (a) less than one week, (b) one to three weeks, (c) four to six weeks, (d) seven to 12 weeks, (e) 13 to 20 weeks and (f) 21 to 28 weeks in each year since 1997.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Steven Jordan

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether UK (a) service personnel and (b) officials have sought to question Mr. Steven Jordan during the last three months.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Submarines

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the cost was of refitting each of the four submarines sold to Canada to make them fit to put to sea.

Adam Ingram: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Submarines

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many fires there have been on (a) Upholder Class submarines and (b) other types of submarines in service with the Royal Navy since 1980 which did not arise in the course of combat.

Adam Ingram: Centralised records of fires on RN submarines are only available from 1988. These records indicate that there were four fires on Upholder Class submarines during the in-service life of that class and 184 on other classes of submarines. The overwhelming majority of these were minor in nature. The figures include fires that arose during refit, repair and maintenance work in port as well as those that occurred on operational submarines at sea. No fires have occurred on the Upholder submarines since they were taken out of service or during reactivation prior to handover. The records do not specifically indicate which fires, if any, arose in the course of combat.

Submarines

John Hayes: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what representations he has received concerning the standard of maintenance of the Upholder/Victoria Class submarines.

Adam Ingram: Following the agreement with the Canadian Government on the lease to buy four Upholder Class submarines, regular discussions have taken place between Ministry of Defence officials and their Canadian counterparts on a range of issues connected with the reactivation programme, which includes maintenance. We remain in close touch with the Canadian authorities, and are assisting them with their inquiry into the fire on board HMCS Chicoutimi on 5 October.

Submarines

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the original (a) estimated cost and (b) in-service delivery date was of the first three Astute class submarines; what the latest estimate is; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Supplementary Manning Assistance

Paul Keetch: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence on how many occasions (a) battalions and (b) regiments have provided supplementary manning assistance to other battalions or regiments in the last six years; and in each case (i) when the assistance was provided, (ii) which battalions or regiments were involved, (iii) how many personnel were provided and (iv) for what period of time the assistance was provided.

Ivor Caplin: Information is not held centrally in the detail requested and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.

Surface Ships/Submarines (Refits)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence with reference to the annex to Cm 6269, how many surface ships and submarines are likely to be undergoing refit at anytime during a (a) medium/small/small, (b) medium/medium/small and (c) large scale concurrency; whether those numbers are reflected in the published tables; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: The Annex to the Defence paper 'Delivering Security in a Changing World: Future Capabilities' (CM6269) fully reflects the requirements for ships and submarines at various levels of concurrency. The units in refit and those being prepared to replace ships and submarines deployed on enduring tasks are shown in the factors column of the force structure tables. Thus, at some stage in a medium/medium/small concurrency, (which is the most demanding concurrency requirement for most surface ships and submarines) up to fifteen ships and four submarines may go through a period of low operational readiness, which may include refit.

Swan Hunter

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what factors underlay the decision not to assist Swan Hunter with the overrun in budget to build the Largs Bay and Lyme Bay vessels at its Wallsend yard; and if he will make a statement.

Adam Ingram: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Tornado

Gerald Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what priorities the Royal Air Force has for maintaining and improving the Tornado's strike and self-protection capabilities over the next decade; and whether there is a budget and delivery schedule for these priorities.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Troop Deployment (Northern Ireland)

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence pursuant to his answer of 10 February 2004, Official Report, column 959W, on the armed forces, when he will place a copy of his letter in the Library.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Two-can Rule

Kevin McNamara: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many soldiers have been subject to disciplinary action for breaching the two-can rule in each of the past two years for which figures are available; and what sanctions have been taken (a) against those in breach of the rule and (b) officers and others responsible for its non-enforcement.

Geoff Hoon: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

UK Military Engagements

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will list UK military engagements overseas, in addition to Iraq; and how many (a) Army, (b) Royal Navy and (c) RAF personnel are involved in each.

Adam Ingram: The list of UK military personnel deployed on operations overseas and the numbers of (a) Army, (b) Navy and (c) RAF personnel who are involved in each, is as follows:
	
		
			 Operations Army Royal Navy RAF Total 
		
		
			 Balkans (Op Oculus) 1,035 75 90 1,200 
			 Afghanistan (Op Herrick) 585 20 255 880 
			 Gulf Region (Op Telic) 6,855 1,265 1,365 9,485 
			  
			 UN Operations 
			 Cyprus (Op Tosca) 415 0 0 415 
			 Georgia (Op Baronet) 5 5 5 10 
			 Sierra Leone (Op Turner) 15 5 5 20 
			 Sudan (Op Dalmin) 0 0 5 5 
			 Dem Rep of Congo (Op Percival) 5 5 0 5 
			 Liberia (Op Sequesta) 5 5 5 5 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The table does not include personnel serving in loan/diplomatic posts, in permanent garrisons, personnel stationed on British overseas territories or on training detachments.
	2. The figures are as reported in early November 2004 and are rounded up to the nearest 5.
	3. Totals may not therefore match the sum of the three individual parts.

Warships

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence when replacements for (a) HMS Leeds Castle and (b) HMS Dumbarton Castle will be ordered.

Adam Ingram: I will write to the hon. Member and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Young Service Personnel

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many 16 and 17-year-olds are serving in (a) the Royal Navy, (b) the Army and (c) the Royal Air Force.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

Young Service Personnel

Paul Stinchcombe: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many under 18-year-olds have died while (a) in service and (b) in training in each of the armed forces for the last 10 years; and if he will list the causes of death in each case.

Ivor Caplin: I will write to my hon. Friend and place a copy of my letter in the Library of the House.

TRANSPORT

Airports

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what discussions he has had with airport operators since the publication of the Future of Air Transport White Paper regarding compensation packages for properties close to expanding airports.

Charlotte Atkins: Officials in the Department held discussions with several airport operators where new runway development options were under consideration during the period leading up to publication of the White Paper, including BAA plc. Those discussions contributed to the views and conclusions set out in paragraphs 12.13 to 12.17 of the White Paper.

Airports

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what steps he is taking in conjunction with the Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs regarding the mitigation of damage to local environments around expanding UK airports.

Charlotte Atkins: The Future of Air Transport White Paper set out in broad terms the measures which the Government expect to see taken by airports and others, and itself intends to take, in order to mitigate environmental disbenefits arising from airport development.
	Work is now in hand on the programme of action summarised on p146 of the White Paper, including the preparation by airports of master plans and noise mitigation schemes, and a structured programme of work specifically on the possible future development of Heathrow Airport in keeping with noise and local emissions constraints. Detailed airport proposals for mitigation measures will fall to be considered through the planning system in due course.

Airports

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the (a) noise levels and (b) other environmental effects around Edinburgh Airport that would be consequent on the expansion of the airport as set out in the Future of Air Transport White Paper.

Charlotte Atkins: This information is set out in the Scottish Consultation Document and supporting technical reports. These estimate the number of people who would be affected by different levels of noise under a range of runway options at Edinburgh Airport including maximum use of the existing main runway, greater use of the existing crosswind runway and development of a new close parallel runway. Our analysis suggests that by 2030, the development of a new close parallel runway, assuming a -14 dBA technology improvement, would reduce the number of people affected within the 63 dBA 16 hour Leq contour by 300 with an increase of 200 people affected at the 69 dBA 16 hour Leq contour.
	Full dispersion modelling was undertaken for a number of runway options at Edinburgh Airport which showed that, in terms of exceedance standards and properties affected, no local air quality problems were likely to arise.

Airports

John Barrett: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what representations he has received regarding the suitability of the compensation packages provided by airport operators for properties close to expanding UK airports; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: Representations have been received from three hon. Members. Others have been received from Uttlesford district council and from the Harmondsworth and Sipson Residents' Association. I answered a question from the hon. Member for Solihull (Mr. Taylor) on 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1114W.

Blue Badge Scheme

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  what advice was taken from the Department of Health on the status of myalgic encephalitis sufferers when formulating the eligibility criteria for the Blue Badge scheme;
	(2)  how many of those people in England eligible for a Blue Badge are suffering from myalgic encephalitis.

Charlotte Atkins: The Blue Badge Scheme is designed primarily to assist disabled people who are unable or have severe difficulty in walking, regardless of the nature of their disability. Local authorities, who are responsible for administering the Scheme, will decide on an individual's eligibility on the basis of these criteria. People with myalgic encephalitis will be eligible for a badge if their walking ability is seriously affected.
	The Department does not hold data on the disabilities of individual blue badge holders.
	We have had no separate discussions with the Department of Health (DH) on myalgic encephalitis. We have, however, worked very closely with that Department in taking forward the recommendations of the Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee following the comprehensive review of the Blue Badge Scheme which we undertook.

Buses

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the effects of quality contracts for buses on joint working between passenger transport executives and bus operating companies in providing bus services that meet the needs of the community they serve.

Charlotte Atkins: To date no authority has submitted a scheme for approval and therefore no assessment has been made of the effects of a quality contract on joint working between Passenger Transport Executives and bus operating companies.

Buses

Michael Meacher: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether he is encouraging local authorities to run Quality Contracts for buses pilot schemes; and if he will (a) commission and (b) publish studies of such pilot schemes.

Charlotte Atkins: The Transport Act 2000 gave local authorities the power to introduce Quality Contracts. To date no authority has submitted a scheme to the Secretary of State for approval. Approval will not be on a pilot basis, although any scheme that is approved will be monitored closely by the Department. We are currently taking a number of steps to make the process less formidable. The Department will shortly be reducing the minimum period between making the approved scheme and implementing it from twenty-one to six months. Following consultation during the summer, the Department will also be publishing guidance to local authorities on how to apply for approval of a quality contract scheme.
	As announced in The Future of Transport, the Department is particularly encouraging local authorities to consider a Quality Contract, where it is linked to a wider strategy to tackle congestion and where PTEs are deciding a new balance between rail and bus.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department for Transport was created in May 2002 and costs for years prior to this can be produced only at disproportionate cost.
	The majority of the Department's media spend is on the THINK! road safety campaign with adverts produced covering a range of subjects such as drink drive, speed, seatbelts, mobile phones, plus specific creative work targeted at children and teenagers.
	200203
	(a) the cost of producing creative work was 1,142,798,
	(b) the media spend was 10,446,000.
	200304
	(a) the cost of producing creative work was 1,082,278,
	(b) the media spend was 10,427,000.
	The cost of administration for the Department's advertising activity can be produced only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the 30 largest contracts awarded by his Department between (a) May 2001 and April 2002, (b) May 2002 and April 2003, (c) May 2003 and April 2004 and (d) May 2004 and the latest date for which figures are available, indicating in each case (i) the values of the contracts and (ii) the companies with which the contracts were placed.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department was formed on 29 May 2002. Three tables showing the information requested has been placed in the Libraries of the House. Separate figures for 200102 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations have won new contracts with (a) his Department and (b) executive agencies for which he is responsible in each of the past three years.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department was formed on 29 May 2002. Separate figures for 200102 are not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However these figures are available for the Department's executive agencies. Information relating to all organisations across the Department and its agencies could be provided only at disproportionate cost due to the level of detail it would entail. However, a table has been placed in the Libraries of the House showing this information in respect of the top 30 suppliers.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has not received any cash sponsorship. However, many third parties have worked with THINK!, the Department's road safety campaign and carried road safety messages in their own activities. The Department is grateful for this in kind support, but has not put a cash value on it. Examples are in the Department's annual reports for 2003 and 2004 which are in the House Libraries.
	Information for the financial years 19972002, when transport policy formed part of the remit of the former Departments of Environment, Transport and the Regions and Transport, Local Government and the Regions (respectively) is not available centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Freedom of Information Act

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department has made an assessment of the likely costs of compliance with the Freedom of Information Act and estimates that the new access rights will result in additional requests for information above and beyond the volumes presently handled but this research suggests that it is not possible to quantify the additional volumes reliably.
	The Department has implemented a number of measures which we believe will help to keep down the costs of meeting the requirements of the Act. These include general awareness training for all staff, specialist training sessions for case handlers and new, standardised procedures and systems are being introduced. To test the efficiency and effectiveness of our preparations, managers have been assessing their readiness using a self-diagnostic model and have also used a series of dummy requests. We have followed the Department of Constitutional Affairs model action plan and are making full use of their central guidance to produce material for use by staff in the central department and the Agencies. We have also been looking to publish information that we would expect to be requested and will be doing so routinely in future.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department is taking all reasonable steps to improve accessibility in its London headquarters estate in accordance with Disability Discrimination Act legislation. For example, last year at Great Minster House a project to refurbish the main reception at GMH incorporated some important accessibility improvements, while a start was made on a programme of works to improve accessibility within the building. This included application of non-reflective film to lift doors, improvements to tea points and accessible toilets and alterations to the heavy corridor doors to reduce their weight. The programme of works has continued this year with a trial exercise to hold the corridor doors open on magnetic retainers during the day in certain areas, prior to decisions being taken on rolling out the works to the rest of GMH. In addition work is about to commence on improving the accessibility of all the passenger and goods lifts serving the building. Particular attention was also paid last year to DDA compliance in the fitting out of the Department's new accommodation at Southside.

High Speed Trains (Kent)

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport 
	(1)  if his Department will invite open tenders for the Kent route high speed trains on the revised business plan and delivery time scale;
	(2)  when his Department first published as part of the initial tendering process details of the original (a) business case and (b) delivery time scale for the Kent route high speed trains; and how many (i) expressions of interest and (ii) actual bids they received;
	(3)  when his Department decided to alter the business case and delivery time scale for the Kent route high speed trains; whether they subsequently approached companies that had expressed an interest in the initial bid; and how many (a) expressions of interests and (b) bids they finally received for this revised proposal.

Tony McNulty: A business case was not published as part of the tendering process. The OJEU notice placed by the Strategic Rail Authority in January 2003 was for the procurement and financing of rolling stock for delivery from January 2007 onwards. HSBC were appointed as financiers as a result of this competition.
	The management of the rolling stock competition was a matter for HSBC, who offered the SRA vehicles from a choice of three manufacturers. It was open to bidders to put in variant bids.
	Restarting a competition for the rolling stock or financier would put the planned launch date of the high-speed Kent services in 2009 under severe risk.

Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Charlotte Atkins: I have placed in the Libraries of the House a list of the provisions of Acts passed in the last 30 years for which the Department for Transport has lead responsibility which remain to be brought into force.

M1

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many incidents on the M1 have resulted in the A5 through (a) Dunstable and (b) Hockliffe being used as a relief road in the last three years, broken down by type of incident.

David Jamieson: The question cannot be answered in absolute terms from records held by the Highways Agency.
	The Highways Agency has agreed diversion routes in place for when the Ml in Bedfordshire is closed due to a major incident. However, police officers may, for operational reasons at the time of the incident, choose to depart from the designated diversion route. Drivers with local knowledge of the area may opt to use another route of their own choosing rather than follow the designated diversion route.
	In the period 1 January 2002 to 10 November 2004, the Highways Agency has records of 17 major incidents occurring on the Ml motorway in Bedfordshire between Junctions 9 (Markyate) and 13 (Bedford). In all of these recorded cases, a diversion route was put in place and traffic is likely to have been diverted along the A5 trunk road at Dunstable on 10 occasions. This is because the A5 High Street South at Dunstable is used as a designated diversion route. By contrast, however, it is less likely that the A5 through Hockliffe was used as a diversion route since the A5 at this location is not part of any designated diversion route.

M25

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on the closure of the M25 from Saturday 13 to Monday 15 November.

David Jamieson: There were severe delays and inconvenience caused to motorists as a result of the fatal accident that occurred on the M25 involving an overturned petrol tanker between Junctions 5 and 6 on the evening of Friday 12 November. As the result of spillage of highly combustible fuel, the emergency services imposed a closure for safety reasons until the necessary extensive remedial works were completed.
	The Highways Agency, Environment Agency and the emergency services are urgently carrying out a thorough investigation into this incident and its management. As soon as the findings are known, the relevant information will be forwarded to the hon. Member and copies placed in the Libraries of the House.

M4

Adrian Flook: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the (a) purpose and (b) cost are of the road works on the side of both carriageways of the M4, east of junction 18.

David Jamieson: The works on the M4 east of junction 18 are part of a series of works being carried out to provide better information to the travelling public. The works will allow for better use of the motorway network and will enable the provision of live traffic information to the Regional Control Centres that are being introduced.
	This phase comprises the installation of fibre optic cables along the verges of the carriageway to allow the erection of variable message signs, CCTV cameras and vehicle queuing detection equipment. The variable message signs will be used to keep drivers informed about what is happening ahead of them on the motorway network, for example, to give warnings and advice about accidents, congestion and road works.
	The current phase of the works is costing 4.5 million.

New Rail Services

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many new passenger rail services were introduced in each of the last seven years.

Tony McNulty: A table produced by ATOC showing the number of timetabled services run on a normal weekday since May 1995 has been placed in the Libraries of the House.

Privatised Rail Companies

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many passenger complaints have been made to each of the privatised rail companies in the last year; and how many were made in the previous year.

Tony McNulty: Complaints rate per 100,000 passenger journeys data is published in the Strategic Rail Authority's National Rail Trends Yearbook 20032004, a copy of which is held in the Library of the House.

Privatised Rail Companies

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what refunds each of the privatised rail companies have given for poor punctuality and service in each of the last three years.

Tony McNulty: Train operating companies (TOCs) provide compensation to passengers in accordance with their Passenger's Charters. TOCs are not required to provide information to Government on the amounts of compensation given.

Privatised Rail Companies

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what penalties are imposed on the privatised rail companies for poor service; and on what criteria these penalties are based.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority operates a number of regimes which make incentive payments or impose penalties to train operating companies (TOCs). These regimes are for punctuality/reliability of services, provision of rolling stock formations as timetabled to meet demand and changes to planned timetables.
	For punctuality/reliability the punctuality incentive payment (PIP) regime measures performance of peak London commuter services and regional and rural services against an historical benchmark of annual average performance. For the provision of rolling stock, the short formation incentive payment (SFEP) applies to operators providing peak services into London and some other cities where penalties are applied if the operator does not deliver the train plan for capacity. For changes to the planned timetable, the timetable change incentive payment (TCDP) provides an incentive for provision of timely notification of timetable changes to minimise the disruption to passengers. Net payments/penalties to TOCs are shown in the SRA's National Rail Trends Yearbook, which has been placed in the Library of the House.
	Passenger transport executives have separate incentive regimes.

Railway Stations

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the Government's policy is on the improvement of railway stations.

Tony McNulty: Major station improvements are currently specified by the Strategic Rail Authority and delivered by Network Rail. Over the past five years significant station developments have been delivered at many stations including Paddington, Manchester Piccadilly and Leeds; works to complete the CTRL terminus at St. Pancras station are due for completion by early 2007 and proposals are being developed for improvements to be made to a number of further stations including Edinburgh Waverley, Birmingham New Street and London Bridge.
	The SRA's Modern Facilities at Stations Programme will provide improvements at 68 other stations by March 2005. Numerous other small station improvements are continually being delivered by Network Rail and train companies where they consider it appropriate, to do so.

Rescue Services (Morecambe Bay)

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many times the lifeboat and inshore rescue services have been called out to rescue cocklers in Morecambe Bay in the past 12 months.

David Jamieson: During 2003, nine incidents involving cocklers or cockling craft were recorded at Liverpool Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre (MRSC), five of which occurred in or around Morecambe Bay. Three of the incidents involved RNLI and Coastguard resources. Two were resolved prior to the launch of any waterborne assets.
	During 2004 to date, 22 incidents involving cocklers or cockling craft have been recorded at Liverpool MRSC, all of which have occurred in Morecambe Bay. Four of the incidents have involved cocklers being rescued by a Search and Rescue (SAR) asset. One incident involved 'self help' where the cocklers made shore safely by means of their inflatable dinghy, when their tractor broke down out in the bay. On 13 occasions, the cocklers made shore safely unaided or prior to the launch or arrival of SAR resources. Three occasions were false alarms with good intent where members of the public reported somebody or something in difficulty, but all persons were accounted for and nothing else untoward was sighted. One occasion was to check a vehicle on the beach for occupancy. On arrival of SAR units the vehicle was found to be abandoned.

Road Traffic Deaths

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will introduce procedures to record the number of fatal car accidents that occur as a result of poor servicing of cars.

David Jamieson: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Rural Railways (North Yorkshire)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport if he will make a statement on his proposals for rural railways in North Yorkshire.

Tony McNulty: The Strategic Rail Authority (SRA) has consulted on proposals for the development of local and rural railways, including those in North Yorkshire and a strategy based on this consultation will be published shortly.

Safety Cameras

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many persons were employed by safety camera partnerships in England and Wales at the latest date for which figures are available; and how many were employed by safety camera partnerships at their inception.

David Jamieson: holding answer 10 November 2004
	Safety camera partnerships comprise area police authorities, local highway authorities and magistrates court authorities. Some staff only spend part of their time with the partnership and the rest on duties with their parent authoritieshence the figures are expressed in terms of 'full time equivalents'.
	The Safety Camera Programme began in 2000, involving seven local partnerships in England and Wales, which had a total of 210 full-time equivalent posts at the end of the programme's trial year 200001. There are now 35 partnerships in England and Wales, covering the whole of Wales and virtually all of England, with 1,692 full-time equivalent posts, on the latest available data.
	Of these 1,692 full time equivalent posts:
	1,160 are employed by police authorities, dealing with detecting offences, processing fixed penalty tickets and dealing with inquiries;
	312 are employed by magistrates court authorities, dealing with collecting payments, dealing with inquiries and driving licence issues;
	91 are employed by local authorities, dealing with communications, establishing and monitoring sites including signing issues;
	129 are employed by either police or local authorities, dealing with running the partnerships and other project management issues.
	The independent review of the first three years of the programme's operation, 200002 to 200203, which the Government published on 15 June showed that cameras were saving over 100 road deaths and over 750 serious injuries a year for the 24 partnerships then in operationa 40 per cent. reduction in the number of people killed or seriously injured at camera sites over and above the general downward trend in UK road casualties, with a financial benefit to society of over four times the resource cost of the programme including staff.
	The annual number of avoided deaths and injuries will now be considerably more, with 35 partnerships now in operation. We have commissioned an update of the independent review of the programme's operation. This will be published in the spring.
	The partnerships will shortly submit their proposals for 200506 including staffing numbers, and the Department will scrutinise these in detail, to ensure that the programme is delivering its valuable benefits in reduced road deaths and casualties as efficiently as possible.

Suicides (Railways)

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many (a) suicides and (b) attempted suicides on railways there were in each of the last five years, broken down by region; and if he will make a statement.

Tony McNulty: holding answer 17 November 2004
	The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The number of suicides and attempted suicides on Network Rail's controlled infrastructure is given in the following table. The data are taken from the Health and Safety Executive's annual reports on rail safety, copies of which are in the House Library. Fatality data are based on HM Coroners' reports. The HSE attempted suicide data are based on information supplied by railway companies to HSE and is defined as those taken to hospital following attempted suicide incidents. The HSE reports do not break the figures down by region.
	
		
			  Suicides Attempted suicides 
		
		
			 200304 73 14 
			 200203 113 11 
			 200102 115 19 
			 200001 128 14 
			 19992000 134 21 
		
	
	(b) In addition the Rail Safety and Standards Board (RSSB) produces separate data on suicides and suspected suicides, broken down by Network Rail region. The following table is extracted from the RSSB annual safety performance report for 2003 which is not published in hard copy but is on the RSSB website at: www.rssb.co.uk The RSSB data record suicides and suspected suicides as a single figure and are for calendar years not financial years.
	
		Number of suicides and suspected suicides
		
			 Region 1999 2000 2001 2002 2003 
		
		
			 East Anglia 17 24 18 25 17 
			 Great Western 30 33 31 28 20 
			 London NE 27 25 31 27 36 
			 Midland 43 38 39 41 24 
			 North Western 39 31 21 26 31 
			 Scotland 20 17 13 13 17 
			 Southern 25 35 32 41 34 
			 Total 201 203 185 201 179

Traffic Management Act

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how he will measure the impact on congestion of the congestion-reducing measures in the Traffic Management Act 2004.

Charlotte Atkins: The Department is working with local traffic authorities and local stakeholders to develop indicators of delays to journey time and journey time reliability which will help measure changes in congestion.
	The Highways Agency already has measures in place for monitoring congestion on the motorway network. These will include indicators such as the response times of the HA traffic officers to incidents, clearance of the carriageway and the number of times traffic is stopped or redirected.

Vehicle Licensing

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many vehicles are licensed; and what the total licence revenue was for each emission rating band in the private and light goods vehicle licensing category in the last year for which figures are available.

David Jamieson: The information requested, for 200304, is as follows.
	
		
			 Emission band Number of vehicles Licence revenue () 
		
		
			 AAA (up to 100g/km) 368 26,093 
			 AA (101to120g/km) 159,777 13,369,527 
			 A (121 to 150g/km) 2,159,268 237,544,419 
			 B (151 to 165g/km) 1,815,274 234,366,251 
			 C (166 to 185g/km) 1,650,206 244,833,163 
			 D (over 185g/km) 2,306,518 375,021,734 
			 Other 20,272,868 3,337,564,452 
			 Total 28,364,279 4,442,725,639

Virgin Trains

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the passenger numbers on trains operated by Virgin Trains into London Euston were during (a) peak hours and (b) off-peak hours in each month from May 2003 to October 2004.

Tony McNulty: This information is not held centrally and could not be readily obtained. However, I have asked Virgin Trains to write to my hon. Friend with the information.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Automated Payments

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the impact of transferring all benefits and credits to bank automated credit systems on (a) the time taken for payments to be made to clients, (b) numbers of staff required within his Department and (c) the cost of payments to (i) the post office, (ii) banks and (iii) other organisations for administering BACS.

Chris Pond: At the outset of the Payment Modernisation Programme, 43 per cent. of DWP customers were already being paid by Direct Payment into an account. The current proportion of DWP customers being paid some or all of their benefits by Direct Payment into an account is 77 per cent. This is a positive step towards meeting the Public Service Agreement target of 85 per cent. of customers being paid directly into an account by 2005.
	The increase in the number of customers who are now paid by Direct Payment has not affected the frequency of payments made to customers, and customers continue to receive their payment by the due date. If the customer has chosen Direct Payment into an account, the overall time scale to process payments through the BACS system is three working days.
	During the course of the conversion process the Department has deployed a Customer Conversion Centre to ease the burden on its front line operations. It is normal business practice for the Department to manage this sort of large-scale but temporary operation in this way. The cost of payments to organisations including banks and the post office for administering BACS, is commercial in confidence. Throughout the planning and migration process detailed consultation has been undertaken with BACS Ltd. (now named Voca Ltd.).

Automated Payments

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what advice the Government has given to claimants about the transfer of benefits and credits to claimants to bank automated credit systems.

Chris Pond: Direct Payment increases choice, reduces fraud and assures a safe, convenient, more modern and efficient way of paying benefits.
	The Department's Direct Payment information campaign provides customers with factual information on all account options, including information on the Post Office card account. It will be up to customers themselves to decide which type of account they wish to have their money paid into.
	Independent research for DWP has shown that nearly all customers found the information that they had received to be at least fairly clear with two thirds considering it to be very clear.

Basic State Pension

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average amount of (a) basic state pension and (b) SERPS received by (i) men and (ii) women in (A) the Scottish Borders, (B) Scotland and (C) the UK was in the last period for which figures are available.

Malcolm Wicks: The available information is in the tables.
	
		(a) Weekly average amounts of basic state pension -- 
		
			 Area Men Women 
		
		
			 Scottish Borders 76.32 62.88 
			 Scotland 76.41 63.32 
			 Great Britain 75.82 61.96 
		
	
	
		(b) Weekly average amounts of additional state pension -- 
		
			 Area Men Women 
		
		
			 Scottish Borders 18.29 8.03 
			 Scotland 18.52 8.48 
			 Great Britain 19.36 8.11 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample and are subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	2. Basic state pension is made up of Category A pensions and pensions derived from spouses' contributions.
	3. Additional state pension is made up of SERPS and state second pension.
	4. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample as at 31 March 2004.

Benefit Entitlement (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people are being paid disability living allowance in Newcastle-under- Lyme;
	(2)  how many pensioners have received the attendance allowance in Newcastle-under-Lyme in each year since 1997;
	(3)  what the cost of administering the carer's allowance was in each of the last three years.

Maria Eagle: The administration of the Disability and Carers Service is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Terry Moran. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Terry Moran to Mr. Paul Farrelly, dated 17 November 2004
	In reply to three of your recent Parliamentary Questions about the Disability and Carers Service, the Minister for Disabled People, Maria Eagle MP, on behalf of the Secretary of State, promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many people are being paid Disability Living allowance (DLA) in Newcastle-under-Lyme.
	In May 2004 there were 4,400 people (to the nearest hundred) in receipt of DLA in the Newcastle-under-Lyme constituency area.
	You also asked the Secretary of State how many pensioners have received the Attendance Allowance in the constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme in each year since 1997. The figures (rounded to the nearest hundred), are outlined below:
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 2,500 
			 1998 2,600 
			 1999 2,500 
			 2000 2,900 
			 2001 2,700 
			 2002 2,600 
			 2003 2,400 
			 2004 2,500 
		
	
	In addition, you also asked the Secretary of State what the cost of administering the Carers Allowance was in each of the last three years. This information, which relates to staff costs only, is outlined below:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 200102 13,890,753 
			 2002-/03 16,551,014 
			 2003- 16,858,598 
		
	
	The increase in costs between 01/02 and 02/03 was due to the recruitment of additional staff to deal with an increase in CA claims as a consequence of the introduction of the Carers Package in October 2002. This allowed carers over the age of 65 to make a claim.
	I hope this is helpful.

Benefit Entitlement (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners receive assistance from the Warm Front Scheme in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Elliot Morley: I have been asked to reply.
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Benefit Overpayment (Recovery)

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many past overpayments of benefits have been recovered by his Department's debt management office in each year since 1997; and if he will place in the Library a copy of the letter being sent to people with repayments of overpaid benefit outstanding.

Chris Pond: The available information is in the table. A draft copy of the letter sent to people with repayments of overpaid benefit outstanding, has been placed in the Library.
	
		Year end overpayment data
		
			  Number of new recoverable overpayments Number of cases where recovery in progress Number of overpayments fully recovered 
		
		
			 200001 626,039 424,283 537,965 
			 200102 563,315 420,876 451,699 
			 200203 504,100 404,505 420,247 
			 200304 380,452 379,102 330,947 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. This type of data was not captured prior to 2000.
	2. A recovery of an overpayment can commence in a previous year before the overpayment was marked as fully recovered in the relevant financial year.
	Source:
	Management Information returns.

Benefit Payments

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what protection is provided to families receiving income support who will be worse off after the migration to child tax credit and who cannot apply for a local authority discretionary housing payment because they do not qualify for council tax or housing benefit;
	(2)  what protection is provided to families receiving income support who will be worse off after the migration to child tax credit and who are refused discretionary housing payment by their local authority;
	(3)  what help is proposed for families receiving income support who will be worse off after the migration to child tax credit and who are awarded a discretionary housing payment for a fixed period and are then refused further payment;
	(4)  whether transitional protection will be put in place to protect from a sudden drop in income families receiving income support who will be worse off after the migration to child tax credit.

Chris Pond: holding answer 26 October 2004
	The Department has no plans to put a transitional protection scheme into place for this group of families at this time. Our latest estimate is that with 900,000 families remaining to be transferred to child tax credit, fewer than 200 will see a net reduction in their overall income as a result of the interaction with council tax benefit, mostly by no more than a few pence per week. In contrast, more than 75 per cent. of families who move off benefit as a result of claiming CTC will gain by 20 a week or more. Nevertheless, we have issued a reminder to local authorities of their powers to consider an award of a discretionary housing payment to affected families where appropriate. Discretionary housing payments are designed for circumstances where there is a shortfall between HB/CTB entitlement and liability.

Benefit Payments

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have received the (a) carer's allowance and (b) invalidity allowance since 1997.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table. Until April 2003, carer's allowance was known as invalid care allowance.
	
		Number in receipt of carer's allowance
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1997 367,445 
			 1998 373,105 
			 1999 373,515 
			 2000(13) 384,860 
			 2001(14) 419,785 
			 2002 390,485 
			 2003 408,115 
			 2004 425,455 
		
	
	(13) Figures for 2003 and 2004 are as at 31 May. For all other years as at 30 June.
	(14) Due to the introduction of a new CA computer system in November 1999, some estimation was necessary. The figure for 2000 was estimated based on trends in earlier years. For 2001, numbers in payment were not available and for that year only, the number entitled was used.
	Source:
	100 per cent. count.

Caravan Parks

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children (a) died and (b) suffered injury as a result of accidents at holiday caravan parks in each of the last five years.

Jane Kennedy: There have been no fatal injuries to children reported to HSE or local authorities in holiday caravan parks during the period 199899 to 2004 1 .
	The reported non-fatal injuries to children are shown in the two age bands in the following table.
	
		
			  Age band 
			  115 1619 
		
		
			 199899 11 1 
			 19992000 26  
			 200001 14 1 
			 200102 (16) 47 3 
			 200203 48 3 
		
	
	(15) Provisional
	(16) From 200102 the reported accident data was collected using revised coding arrangements. In the same year reporting was made easier through the setting up of the HSE Incident Contact Centre (ICC) which encouraged more telephoned reports. HSE do not interpret the increase in the figures as a growing accident trend, but welcome the easier collection of data.
	Note:
	The annual basis is the planning year from 1 April to 31 March

Carer's Allowance/Premium

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many claimants were receiving the carer's premium in (a) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (b) the UK on the latest date for which figures are available.

Maria Eagle: The available information is in the table.
	
		Claimants in receipt of a carer premium in May 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Newcastle-under-Lyme 300 
			 Great Britain 290,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Newcastle-under-Lyme figures are from the 5 per cent. income support and jobseeker's allowance samples rounded to the nearest hundred.
	2. Great Britain figures are from the income support and jobseeker's allowance 5 per cent. sample combined with housing benefit and council tax benefit 1 per cent. sample, rounded to the nearest 10,000 with overlapping benefits removed.
	3. As the figures are based on 5 per cent. samples they are subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	4. The data refer to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple.
	5. The administration of benefits in Northern Ireland is a matter for the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland.
	Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions

Carer's Allowance/Premium

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what plans he has to develop the carer's allowance;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the costs of increasing the carer's allowance to the level of the minimum wage per hour spent caring;
	(3)  how many pensioners entitled to the carer's allowance have benefited from the abolition of the upper age limit.

Maria Eagle: Following the report of the National Strategy for Carers we have already made substantial improvements to carer's allowance, and to the extra money available to carers on a low income through the carer premium in the income related benefits and the carer's additional amount in pension credit. These improvements include the removal of the upper age limit on claims to the allowance, and substantial increases in the amount recipients can earn from part-time work, as well as in the extra money available to carers in the income related benefits and pension credit. We have no plans for further change beyond our commitment to increase carer's allowance each year in line with RPI.
	Carer's allowance (CA) is not a carers' wage, and we have made no estimate of the cost of increasing it in line with the national Minimum Wage.
	The latest available figures show that at 31 May 2004 some 23,500 pension age carers, including around 9,500 aged 65 and over, were receiving carers allowance. About 114,500 carers aged 60 or over, including over 83,000 aged 65 or over were getting the carer's additional amount in pension credit.

Child Poverty

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many children (a) are defined as living below the poverty line and (b) have moved above the poverty line in each year in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) England since 1997.

Chris Pond: Poverty is about more than low income, it also impacts on the way people livetheir health, housing and the quality of their environment. The sixth annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and presents information on the indicators used to measure progress against this strategy. In December 2003, we published 'Measuring child poverty' which outlines the Government's new measure of child poverty which will be used from 200405. Both of these documents are available in the Library.
	There is not a measure which sets out the numbers of children in poverty for the years since 1997 and we do not produce yearly estimates of the number of children leaving low income. However, data on the number of children living in low income households is available. The threshold of below 60 per cent. contemporary median income is the most commonly used in reporting absolute and relative trends in low income.
	The number of children in England below 60 per cent. contemporary median income from 199798 is in the table. Figures are not available below Government Office Region level. Specific information regarding low income at Government Office Region level is available in 'Households Below Average Income 1994/95 2002/03', which is available in the Library.
	
		Number of children in England below 60 per cent. contemporary median income -- Million
		
			  Before housing costs After housing costs 
		
		
			 199798 2.7 3.7 
			 199899 2.6 3.7 
			 19992000 2.6 3.6 
			 200001 2.3 3.4 
			 200102 2.2 3.3 
			 200203 2.2 3.1 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 100,000.
	Source:
	Households Below Average Income.

Child Support Agency

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how long the longest CSA enforcement case in respect of a self-employed non-resident parent has been outstanding.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Chris Ruane, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how long the longest Child Support Agency enforcement case in respect of a self-employed non-resident parent has been outstanding.
	The case that has been with our enforcement teams for the longest period of time was first referred around 10 years ago. The non-resident parents main source of income is derived from self-employment. The case is currently being taken forward for committal proceedings.
	The average length of time a case remains with enforcement before it is cleared is 1 year 5 months. This represents the time taken from acceptance until the liability order is paid in full or the non-resident parent has proved that he is meeting his maintenance liability.

Child Support Agency

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what investigations he has made into the Child Support Agency computer system being unable to process payments into banks with a sort code commencing with 0; and what assessment he has made of the number of people affected by this problem.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Sandra Gidley, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what investigations he has made to the Child Support Agency computer system being unable to process payments into bank accounts with a sort code commencing with 0; and what assessment he has made of the number of people affected by this problem?
	The Child Support Agency computer system is able to automatically process payments into bank accounts with a sort code commencing with a 0.
	The computer system does however have a cosmetic display error, which means that the leading 0 of the bank sort code is not correctly displayed to the caseworker. This may have resulted in some clients being incorrectly advised, that the Agency was unable to process payments into that bank account. Guidance has been issued to caseworkers to ensure that when dealing with clients, they are aware that the bank sort code whilst not correctly displayed, is able to be processed correctly, enabling payment to those bank accounts.

Child Support Agency

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when figures on the Child Support Agency new system (a) compliance and (b) throughput will be available; and what estimates have so far been made.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, when figures on the CSA new system (a) compliance and (b) throughput will be available; and what estimates have so far been made.
	The issue of compliance was addressed in the most recent quarterly report that was made available in the House of Commons Library on 28 October 2004. The management information provided by EDS does not yet permit us to provide a reliable estimate of throughput.

Child Support Agency

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each method of enforcement of payment of child support used by the Child Support Agency.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. David Kidney, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of each method of enforcement of payment of child support used by the Child Support Agency.
	The recent review of enforcement concluded that changes were necessary in a number of areas. These included the need for better management information. This is being taken forward and we are progressively gaining a broad picture of the effectiveness of each method of enforcement. This knowledge base needs to be developed further before reliable conclusions can be drawn from this.

Child Support Agency

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions which Child Support Agency senior managers received performance related bonuses in 200304; and what the value of each of those bonuses was.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Steve Webb, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, which Child Support Agency senior managers received performance related bonuses in 200304; and what the value of each of those bonuses was.
	In accordance with the requirements of Government Accounting, a full disclosure of the remuneration of Child Support Agency Directors is included with the Agency accounts for the year to 31 March 2004.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what contingency plans he has prepared in relation to computer systems used by the Child Support Agency.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what contingency he has prepared in relation to computer systems currently used by the Child Support Agency.
	The new computer and telephony service provided by EDS contains a number of defects. The Child Support Agency is working closely with EDS to resolve these and they are progressively being remedied. Where we are unable to use the IT to progress cases, we use a series of manual workarounds. Exceptionally, where these prove unsuccessful, a small number of cases are progressed entirely clerically.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints the Child Support Agency has received from members of the public in relation to the computer systems used by the agency since their introduction.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints the Child Support Agency has received from members of the public in relation to the computer systems currently used by the agency since their introduction.
	Statistical data on complaints received in relation to the computer systems used by the Agency has only been collected since June 2003. Since then there have been 2196 complaints.
	The breakdown of complaints in relation to computer system error and delay since June 2003 is as follows:
	883 Old scheme complaints; and
	1313 New scheme complaints
	In order to put the above figures into context the Agency's current caseload is over 1.3million.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many complaints the Child Support Agency has received from members of the public in relation to the telephone systems used by the Child Support Agency since their introduction.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliament Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many complaints the Child Support Agency has received from members of the public in relation to the telephone systems currently used by the Child Support Agency since their introduction.
	The Agency did not maintain a record of complaints received from members of the public in relation to the telephone systems used until April 2004. Since then there have been 1240 complaints received.
	The breakdown of telephony complaints since April 2004 is as follows:
	667 CSCS complaints for Old Scheme cases
	573 CS2 complaints for New Scheme cases
	In order to put the above figures into context the Agency's current caseload is over 1.3 million.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the backlog of new claims held by the Child Support Agency.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. I am providing this in his absence
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the backlog of new claims held by the Child Support Agency.
	At the end of September 2004 there were around 240,000 new applications recorded on the new IT system awaiting a decision under the new scheme legislation. Typically 40% of cases will close before reaching assessment. Applications close for a variety of reasons, for example if the parents reconcile.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his latest estimate is of the average time it takes the Child Support Agency to bring cases from first application to assessment.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what his latest estimate is of the average time it takes the Child Support Agency to bring cases from first application to assessment.
	The management information provided by EDS does not yet permit us to provide a reliable estimate of throughput.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many stuck cases were held by the Child Support Agency during the last calendar year, broken down by month.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman dated 18 November 2004
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, how many stuck cases were held by the Child Support Agency during the last calendar year broken down by month.
	The management information is not available for the calendar year 2003, however, I can provide figures for 2004.
	The information in the table shows the number of stuck cases that relate to our most problematic classifications:
	
		
			 Four weekly Number 
		
		
			 26 January 2004 75,337 
			 23 February 2004 47,725 
			 22 March 2004 52,538 
			 19 April 2004 39,126 
			 17 May 2004 34,143 
			 14 June 2004 34,614 
			 12 July 2004 36,031 
			 9 August 2004 37,703 
			 6 September 2004 38,941 
			 4 October 2004 40,009 
			 1 November 2004 41,985 
		
	
	These figures are collaged on a weekly basis not calendar month so, they are shown four weekly.

Child Support Agency

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of eligible parents received their first payment from the Child Support Agency within the time limit of six weeks during the last calendar year, broken down by month.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the chief executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Paul Goodman, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. I am providing this in Mr. Smith's absence.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many parents and what proportion of eligible parents received their first payment from the Child Support Agency within the time limit of six weeks during the last calendar year broken down by month.
	I am unable to provide the information that you have requested because of the current limitations with management information provided by EDS.

Child Support Agency

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his written ministerial statement of 28 October 2004, Official Report, columns 5557WS, on the new child support scheme progress report, what percentage the sum of 12.1 million retained by the Child Support Agency (CSA) represents with respect to the total payments (a) due to and (b) paid to EDS between 3 March 2003 and 19 September 2004; what percentage of the total number of clearances, calculations and closures the current achievement rate of over 238,000 for the new child support scheme represents; upon what criteria reasonable assessments of compliance are to be based; what the definition of (i) cash compliance and (ii) case compliance is; and upon what criteria the estimate of the number of parents who receive child maintenance premium payments by way of a disregard to their income support/ income-based jobseeker's allowance is based.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Ms Annabelle Ewing, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his Written Ministerial Statement of 28th October Official Report columns 5557WS on the new child support scheme progress report what percentage the sum of 12.1 million retained by the Child Support Agency (CSA) represents with respect to the total payments (a) due to and (b) paid to EDS between 3rd March 2003 and 19th September 2004; what percentage of the total number of clearances calculations and closures the current achievement rate of over 238,000 for the new child support scheme represents; upon what criteria reasonable assessments of compliance are to be based; what the definition of (i) cash compliance and (ii) case compliance is; and upon what criteria the estimate of the number of parents who receive child maintenance premium payments by way of a disregard to their income support/ income-based jobseeker's allowance is based.
	The headings below provide a summary of your questions.
	EDS Contract:
	Payments under the CSR contract to EDS between 3 March 2003 and 19 September 2004 amount to 62.08million. During the same period the Department has retained 12.1m for performance issues, representing just over 16% of the sum invoiced.
	'New scheme' caseload:
	As at September 2004 the Agency processed 238,000 cases, equivalent to 50% of its 478,000 intake. Of the cases processed, 140,000 (59%) resulted in a calculation of maintenance and 98,000 (41%) were closed. We know that historically 40% of 'new scheme' intake has resulted in a closure and we expect the same to be true for those applications waiting to be processed.
	Compliance:
	Cash compliance compares the amount of regular maintenance and/or arrears collected through the Agency's collection service against the amount due in the period. Case compliance compares the number of cases on which regular maintenance and/or arrears is paid against the number of cases for which maintenance is due in the period.
	We are now receiving the necessary management information on the number of cases where payment is being made and the number of cases where payment is due to enable us to make accurate assessments of the compliance levels we are achieving.
	Child Maintenance Premium:
	The number of Child Maintenance Premium payments made includes those first payments made by the Agency to the parents with care who are in receipt of the qualifying benefits, together with an estimate of those parents with care who will be receiving the payment directly as a disregard to their Income Support/income-based Jobseekers Allowance.

Child Support Agency

Tony Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the proposed reduction in the Child Support Agency service in Workington.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Tony Cunningham, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. I am providing this in Mr Smith's absence.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons are for the proposed reduction in the Child Support Agency service in Workington.
	Child support services in Workington are delivered by our Wales and North West England Business Unit with its headquarters based in Birkenhead. Those services include a face to face interviewing service which is currently delivered by two staff based in Workington. The demand for our face to face service nationally has changed over the past two years which resulted in our subjecting it to an internal review. As a result we are replacing the existing service with two new services:
	a customer service which provides office interviews/home visits to deal with enquiries from our customers which cannot be cleared by telephone;
	a compliance service which will provide inspectoral visits to non-compliant employers and clients and which will present enforcement cases in local courts.
	We are reducing the number of staff and the locations where they are based. Whilst Workington will receive an equivalent level of service to the rest of the country we will no longer be basing our staff there.

Child Support Agency

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to his answers of 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1373W, and 4 November, to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb), Official Report, column 417W, on the Child Support Agency, if he will now provide the information requested by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Doug Smith to Mr. Frank Field, dated 18 November 12004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to his answers of 28 October, Official Report, column 1373W, and 4 November, to the honourable Member for Northavon, Official Report, column 417W, on the Child Support Agency, if he will now provide the information requested by the right hon. Member for Birkenhead.
	I remain unable to provide the information you require. I can however provide an update on the number of cases that have successfully transferred from the 'old scheme' to the 'new scheme'. Since March 2003 these amount to around 20,000 cases.

Child Support Agency

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the reasons were for the delay in rolling out the new Child Support Agency assessment rules to all absent parents; and what steps he is taking to resolve the problems in rolling out the new scheme.

Chris Pond: The administration of the Child Support Agency is a matter for the Chief Executive, Mr. Doug Smith. He will write to the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Mike Isaac to Mr. Bob Spink, dated 18 November 2004
	In reply to your recent Parliamentary Question about the Child Support Agency the Secretary of State promised a substantive reply from the Chief Executive. As he is currently on leave I am replying on his behalf.
	You asked the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the reasons were for the delay in rolling out the new Child Support Agency assessment rules to all absent parents; and what steps he is taking to resolve the problems in rolling out the new scheme.
	The new computer and telephony service provided by EDS contains a number of defects. The Child Support Agency is working closely with EDS and the defects are progressively being remedied. EDS will then be in a position to provide the software changes needed to support the migration of cases from the old to the new computer system and to convert existing maintenance assessments into new calculations. In the meantime, maintenance is still flowing under the old scheme and we do not want to jeopardise this by transferring cases too early. Ministers will want to be satisfied that the new arrangements are working well for new applications before making any decisions about migration and conversion.

Civil Servants (Criminal Records)

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what procedures are in place (a) to check the criminal records of civil servants in his Department and agencies responsible to his Department, including the Benefits Agency, who have access to computer databases containing confidential information on the public and (b) to ensure that there can be no improper use of computer databases containing confidential information on the public; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: All prospective employees of the Department and it's agencies are required to provide information about their eligibility to be employed, which include the requirement to declare any criminal convictions.
	If anyone in the Department is charged with or convicted of a criminal offence they are required to inform their manager straight away.
	When an offence comes to light consideration is given to establish whether restriction of duties, transfer or suspension from duty is appropriate and what disciplinary action is required. Failure to report a criminal caution can of itself be treated as a disciplinary offence.
	As civil servants all Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) staff are subject to the provisions of the Civil Service Code and the Department's Standards of Behaviour statement is based on it.
	Staff standards of behaviour require that computers or computer systems must only be used to access or process information people need to do their job. They must not access (or attempt to access) their own or other people's records, systems or information without authorisation.
	There are also system generated access controls and auditing mechanisms. Staff are made aware of these measures during their training and consolidated by central guidance. Access to systems is approved by line managers and controlled by the local IT specialist.

Council Tax Benefit

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the estimated expenditure on council tax benefit in England (a) was in 200304 and (b) will be in 200405 across (i) all council tax benefit recipients and (ii) pensioner recipients.

Chris Pond: The information is in the following table.
	
		Estimated expenditure on council tax benefit in England --  million, nominal terms
		
			  200304 200405 
		
		
			 All council tax benefit recipients 2,811 3,085 
			 Pensioner recipients 1,431 1,625 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures have been rounded to the nearest million pounds.
	2. All pensioner figures quoted relate to people aged 60 and over.
	Source:
	The estimated costs shown are consistent with data published at Spending Review 2004.

Data Sharing

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of data sharing practices between executive bodies of his Department.

Jane Kennedy: The Department's IT systems currently allow the sharing of limited customer information between its Agencies. As part of the modernising delivery programme, we are implementing systems that will allow Agency IT systems to increase data sharing across the Department. It is envisaged that this IT will be operational from the middle of 2005 and will be subject to the limitations set out in the relevant data protection legislation.
	These improvements will enable a more consistent and consolidated approach when interacting with our customers.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Jane Kennedy: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Northavon (Mr. Webb) on 24 May 2004 Official Report, columns 146364W.
	Using the figures for advertising expenditure from that answer, which referred to media spend by campaign, the following table adds the creative costs for those campaigns where creative costs can be separately identified. Therefore advertising media spend and creative work for 200304 broken down by campaign are as follows:
	
		
		
			 200304 campaign Advertising expenditure Creative costs 
		
		
			 Pension credit 11,100,000 2,068,720 
			 The Pension Service 570,000 71,354 
			 Direct Payment 11,044,000 1,206,890 
			 Direct Payment road show 51,000 850 
			 Fraud 8,383,000 860,493 
			 Winter fuel 637,000 38,418 
			 Council tax benefit 500,000 32,688 
			 New Deal 5,800,000 1,152,038 
			 Jobseeker Direct help-line 1,700,000 347,928 
			 Age Positive 46,000 11,388 
			 DDA awareness and disability rights 47,000 2,583 
			 Totals 39,878,000 5,793,350 
		
	
	The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001. Further details of creative spend, including for previous years, could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	We are unable to identify administrative costs separately as departmental administrative staff do not work solely on advertising campaigns and agencies do not charge separately for administrative support.
	All these figures are net of VAT.

Departmental Changes

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made under race relations regulations of the effect on ethnic minorities of the organisational changes to his Department in the South East region.

Maria Eagle: We are committed to securing equality of opportunity for all our customers. This commitment is delivered through the implementation of our Race Equality Scheme and through the range of measures highlighted in our ethnic minority business delivery plan. The Department is proactive in seeking advice and guidance on the impact of all policies, including organisational change, on ethnic minorities. Plans are subject to consultation with our staff and their representatives and where these organisational changes have an impact on the services provided to customers they are subject to public consultation with local community groups.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies, since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not available centrally in the format requested and could be collected only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental Policies

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the south Dorset constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the south Dorset constituency.

Jane Kennedy: We have undertaken a fundamental overhaul of the welfare system, transforming it from a passive to an active system that fights poverty, creates opportunity and helps people become self-sufficient and independent.
	Through Jobcentre Plus, we are promoting work as the best form of welfare for people of working age. The number of people in work is at historically high levels of over 28.39 million; in south Dorset, the proportion in employment has risen to 81.1 per cent.
	Our New Deals have helped lone parents, the young unemployed, the long-term unemployed, disabled people, the over 50s and partners of unemployed people to move from benefit into work. Nationally over 1.1 million people have been helped into work by the New Deals, with over 1,400 in south Dorset alone.
	Significant progress has been made in eradicating child poverty, and the latest figures for 200203 show that there were over half a million fewer children in relative low income than there were in 199697. Child benefit is now worth 16.50 a week for the eldest child, compared to only 11.40 in 1997, benefiting 9,875 families in south Dorset.
	We want all pensioners to have a decent and secure income in retirement and to share fairly in the rising prosperity of the country, and our first priority has been to help the poorest pensioners. The Government will be spending nearly 10 billion more in 200405 (in 200405 prices) on pensioners as a result of measures introduced since 1997, with around half going to the poorest third.
	Our reforms include the state second pension, which helps more of tomorrow's pensioners build up better pensions. Pension credit, introduced from October 2003, provides a contribution to a guaranteed minimum income for those aged 60 and over and, for the first time, those over aged 65 and over may be rewarded for modest savings and income. Around 3,980 pensioners in south Dorset are receiving pension credit, with an average award of 37.47 per week.
	We know that older people are disproportionately affected by fuel poverty. This winter (200405) we have again made available a winter fuel payment of 200 for each eligible household with someone aged 60 or over to help with their fuel bills. The additional 80+ Annual Payment gives an extra 100 to eligible households where there is someone aged 80 or over. Last winter there were 15,595 households in south Dorset which received the winter fuel payment and, of those 4,220 households received the additional Annual Payment. We expect numbers to be similar for this winter (200405).
	Additionally for this year eligible households with someone aged 70 or over will receive the One-off 70+ Payment of 100 to help with living expenses including council tax bills. It will be paid with the winter fuel payment and last winter there were 9,825 households in south Dorset with someone aged 70 or over which received a winter fuel payment. We expect a similar number to receive the One-off 70+ Payment this winter (200405).
	Some 20,540 pensioners in south Dorset benefited from the above inflation increase in the rate of basic state pension from April 2003. Those over 75, of whom we estimate there are about 6,890 in south Dorset, may also qualify for free TV licences.
	In 200203 we estimate there were around 10 million adults (22 per cent.) and 0.7 .million children (5 per cent.) in GB likely to be covered by the provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA).
	The figures can be broken down to regional level which shows that 22 per cent. of adults and 6 per cent. of children in the south-west of England are likely to be covered by the provisions of the DDA.
	Information on the numbers of customers in the south-west who are in receipt of disability living allowance (DLA) and attendance allowance (AA) is in the following table. This information is not available at constituency level.
	
		
			  Operational year DLA/AA allowances recipients (Thousand) 
		
		
			 South-west  
			 2004 312.5 
			 2003 296.8 
			 2002 279.2 
			 2001 271.6 
			 2000 259.6 
			 1999 257.9 
			 1998 247.1 
			 1997 230.3 
		
	
	Source:
	Information Centre, Figures taken from a 5 per cent. sample at 31 May each year.

Departmental Property/Staff

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the properties occupied (a) by his Department and (b) by its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004, showing (1) for each and (2) in aggregate (A) the area and (B) the annual rental value.

Maria Eagle: The information requested is not available for 1997.
	Such information that is available for 2004 is in the table. A separate list providing details of the floor area for all 1,743 DWP properties, grouped by region and DWP major occupying business, has been placed in the Library.
	
		Size and cost of the DWP estate at April 2004
		
			 DWP 1 Figures 
		
		
			 PRIME sq m(18) 2,481,539.62 
			 Non PRIME sq m(19) 108,000.00 
			 Total size (million sq m rounded)(20) 2.590 
			 Overall annual facilities price ( million)(21) 529.3 
		
	
	(17) Information about the size of the DWP estate is available only from April 2004 subsequent to a detailed measuring exercise undertaken when the PRIME PFI contract was expanded to include the former Employment Service estate. Information about the former ES estate prior to this date is not available.
	(18) PRIME space is occupied under the terms of the PRIME PFI contract and includes space occupied by other Government Departments (OGDs) within DWP buildings.
	(19) Non PRIME space is where DWP has a part occupation in the building of an other Government Department (OGD).
	(20) Information about floor area is held at departmental level only. Information about the space occupied (not net internal area of buildings) by each of the Department's agencies is currently being gathered and should be available early in the new year.
	(21) The overall facilities price (FP) paid is shown. Details of annual rental value are not available as the PRIME PFI procured serviced accommodation as a global price, customised by building, and it is not possible now to extract a separate price for each traditional element covered by the FP. Rent in Non PRIME space is paid directly by the Department's businesses to OGDs and the information is not recorded centrally, although the overall FP recorded above does include the cost of facilities management services delivered through the PRIME contract to Non PRIME building occupants.

Departmental Property/Staff

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the (a) location and (b) numbers of staff employed in each benefit processing centre.

Maria Eagle: Benefit processing is carried out by Jobcentre Plus, the Disability and Carers Service and the Pension Service.
	Currently, Jobcentre Plus has about 21,000 staff involved in benefit processing, spread across 633 sites. The majority of these sites are primarily involved in delivering our Welfare to Work programmes and have very few staff processing benefits. Currently there are three benefit centres, the primary function of which is processing benefits. Jobcentre Plus benefits processing will be centralised in 81 sites by 2008.
	The former Secretary of State made an announcement to the House on 29 June 2004, Official Report, columns 89WS, regarding the future of Pension Service centres. The Secretary of State announced on 16 September 2004, Official Report, columns 17880WS, details of the 81 sites which will carry out benefit processing by 2008.
	The information for the three Jobcentre Plus benefit centres, Disability and Carers Service centres and the Pension Service centres are in the tables.
	
		Jobcentre Plus benefit centres (August 2004)
		
			 Benefit centre Number of staff 
		
		
			 Belfast 323 
			 Glasgow 503 
			 Makerfield 287 
		
	
	
		Disability and Carers Service processing centres (August 2004)
		
			 Processing centre Number of staff 
		
		
			 Birmingham 495 
			 Bootle 210 
			 Bristol 210 
			 Cardiff 195 
			 Edinburgh 150 
			 Fylde (22)3,020 
			 Glasgow 165 
			 Leeds 253 
			 Manchester 173 
			 Newcastle 154 
			 Preston 1,157 
			 Sutton 328 
			 Wembley 358 
		
	
	(22) Fylde coast has approximately 600 staff involved in functions outside benefit processing. A small number of staff at each of the other sites are not directly involved in benefit processing.
	
		Pension Service centres (August 2004)
		
			 Pension centre Number of staff 
		
		
			 Bath PC 400 
			 Birmingham PC 366 
			 Blackpool PC 187 
			 Burnley PC 506 
			 Cwmbran PC 238 
			 Dearne Valley PC 372 
			 Derby PC 290 
			 Dundee PC 494 
			 London PC (Glasgow) 484 
			 Leicester PC 280 
			 Liverpool PC 253 
			 Motherwell PC 499 
			 London PC (Newcastle) 584 
			 Norwich BH PC 255 
			 Norwich KH PC 308 
			 Nottingham PC 238 
			 Plymouth PC 360 
			 Seaham PC 371 
			 Stockport PC 688 
			 Stockton PC 317 
			 Swansea PC 529 
			 Walsall PC 253 
			 Warrington PC 483 
			 Wolverhampton PC 378 
			 Wrexham PC 382 
			 York PC 285 
			 IPCNewcastle 997 
			 NPCNewcastle 986 
			 NPFTCNewcastle 700 
		
	
	Note:
	The table shows the number of core processing and management and support staff in post at the end of August 2004. Staff working on local services, projects and central functions are not included.

Departmental Property/Staff

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of his Department's guidance on activities that may be undertaken by staff in redeployment units.

Maria Eagle: The Pension Service redeployment unit is currently the only redeployment unit within the Department. When an individual transfers to the Redeployment Unit, they will spend the majority of their time looking for a new job. They may be asked to undertake temporary projects or tasks whilst assigned to the Redeployment Unit, but the duration of these projects and tasks will not exceed 2 months and therefore do not affect an individual's surplus status.
	Specific guidance on activities that may be undertaken by staff in the unit has been placed in the Library.

Disability Living Allowance

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what research his Department has undertaken into the cost involved in removing the bar on disabled people over the age of 65 years from claiming disability living allowance.

Maria Eagle: None, because there is no reliable data available on which research could be properly based.
	Entitlement to disability living allowance can only be reliably established after a claim has been made and the mobility and care needs of the customer assessed.

Ethnicity

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the effect of a person's ethnicity on their access to public services within the responsibilities of his Department.

Maria Eagle: DWP has a range of measures in place to assess the effect of ethnicity on access to public services.
	We are looking towards improving the way we assess the impact of our services on ethnic minorities, and for this reason have worked in partnership with Home Office and Commission for Racial Equality to develop a system which will help us to achieve this.
	There is a corporate monitoring project being undertaken in the Department to identify the gaps in information we have on the ethnicity of our customers.
	Jobcentre Plus currently monitor the ethnicity of all customers who attend work focused interviews.
	Customer satisfaction surveys are carried out by Jobcentre Plus, Pensions Service, Child Support Agency, Disability and Carers Directorate and Appeals Service which include questions on ethnicity. The results of these surveys help us to assess our services and act on any shortcomings.
	Ethnic minority outreach programmes are in place across the Department and feedback from customers involved in these can help to inform us whether our services are accessible to ethnic minority groups.
	The Department has set up the Ethnic Minority Working Party, with which we consult regularly on issues which affect ethnic minority groups. We also meet regularly with the Black and Minority Ethnic Elders Group.
	A range of research has been commissioned to explore the question of ethnicity and barriers to take up of various benefits and services. Full assessments have not yet been made on the results of these, but action is being taken in response to some of the findings. These include:
	Research into experiences of lone parents from ethnic minority communities.
	Opportunities and barriers in employment and training for refugees.
	Diversity in disability.
	Delivering benefits and services to black and minority ethnic older people.
	Research into the languages currently used by the Department, to determine whether these are appropriate for our changing customer base.
	Copies of the research publications are available in the Library.

Freedom of Information Act

Andrew Selous: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: A major function of my Department is to provide information about a wide range of benefits, child support and back to work services to a variety of customers and others who use or are interested in using our services. This means that large amounts of information are regularly provided routinely and without question.
	Implementation of the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000 will build on the Department's existing mechanisms for responding to written requests for information, although there is no reliable way of forecasting the volume of additional requests we may receive. Accordingly, we have made no assessment of the likely additional costs of implementing the Freedom of Information Act 2000 within the Department for Work and Pensions for the first quarter of 2005.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions has, with its estates services provider LandSecurities Trillium, implemented a national programme of building works to its premises, facilities and services to improve access for disabled, people.
	Of the 164 DWP buildings within the London Government Region, there are only 45 sites where works are not fully completed but programmes of work have been agreed to provide access to disabled people by the end of January 2005.

Health and Safety at Work

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps the Government have taken to improve health and safety at work in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: Regulatory responsibility for health and safety is shared between the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) and Local Authorities (LAs). HSE adopts a national approach to improving health and safety at work, focusing its efforts to those work activities presenting the greatest risk to workers and members of the public. To achieve this HSE's inspectors inspect workplaces, investigate incidents and complaints and take enforcement action where necessary. In addition, Health and Safety Awareness Officers provide advice and guidance to small firms during workplace visits, events and initiatives.
	HSE has an office in Newcastle-under-Lyme, covering Staffordshire, Shropshire and parts of Cheshire. Work is carried out according to national priorities but guided by local circumstances.
	In April 2002 HSE introduced 'topic-based inspections' in response to the Revitalising Health and Safety initiative. Inspectors judge management of health and safety by inspecting a small number of topics and issues that are most likely to cause serious harm.
	In February 2004 the Health and Safety Commission (HSC) published their new strategy for workplace health and safety to 2010 and beyond. In September 2004 HSC issued a consultative document to explore which techniques HSE and LAs can use to best influence workplace health and safety standards.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) time scale and (b) anticipated publication date is for the feasibility study being undertaken by his Department to establish the full impact, costs and benefits of the introduction of identity cards.

Chris Pond: We have conducted and completed an initial feasibility study into the impact Identity Cards will have on DWP business. The results have been forwarded to the Home Office and will help inform the next stage of the Identity Cards programme. For commercial and security reasons the results will not be published separately.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have had their claims for incapacity benefit terminated because their claims were found to be fraudulent in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) region and (b) age.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available. Information is not collected on how many people identified as making fraudulent claims to incapacity benefit had their claims terminated as a result.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent estimate he has made of the number of (a) males and (b) females aged (i) 18 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49 and (iv) 50 to 59 claiming incapacity benefit; and what estimate he has made of the number of males aged 60 to 65 claiming incapacity benefit.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Incapacity benefit (IB) and severe disablement allowance (SDA) claimants by age and gender, at May 2004
		
			  All Men Women 
		
		
			 All 2,708,700 1,590,200 1,118,600 
			 
			 Under 18 9,800 4,600 5,200 
			 18 to 29 304,300 171,800 132,500 
			 30 to 39 475,900 276,000 199,900 
			 40 to 49 630,700 338,000 292,700 
			 50 to 59 929,600 477,600 452,100 
			 60 to 64 329,000 315,200 13,900 
			 65 and over 29,400 7,100 22,300 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures have been rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	2. Figures are based on a 5 per cent. sample, and are therefore subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	3. SDA has not been available to new claimants since April 2001.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged (a) under 25, (b) 25 to 40, (c) 40 to 49, (d) 50 to 59 and (e) over 60 years have claimed incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance in each year since 1997, broken down by region.

Maria Eagle: The information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity/Severe Disablement Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people have made a new claim for incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) region;
	(2)  how many applications for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance were rejected in each year since 1997; and what percentage this was of all applications for each benefit, broken down by (a) age and (b) region;
	(3)  what categories of reasons are given for the rejection of applications for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance; and how many applications for incapacity benefit and severe disablement allowance were rejected for each of these reasons in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) age and (b) region.

Maria Eagle: The information is not available in the format requested.
	The available information has been placed in the Library.

Incapacity Benefit

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what percentage of new claimants of incapacity benefit or severe disablement allowance in each year since 1997 have been in receipt of incapacity benefit at some point (a) during the previous two years; (b) during the previous five years and (c) since the introduction of incapacity benefit broken down by age and region.

Maria Eagle: The available information has been placed in the Library.
	Case-level Incapacity Benefit/Severe Disablement Allowance data are available only from May 1995.

ME

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with officials from the Department of Health on the clinical definition of myalgic encephalomyelitis.

Maria Eagle: The Department's Chief Medical Adviser keeps up to date with the latest developments in the understanding and treatment of myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome. He does this by review of literature, discussion with experts in the field and liaison with the Department of Health. There have been no recent discussions with Department of Health officials specifically on this subject.

Mrs. Elizabeth Langmead

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions when Mrs. Elizabeth Langmead of Galmpton, Devon, will be refunded the sum in retirement pension owed to her by the Pension Service; and if he will make a statement.

Malcolm Wicks: holding answer 16 November 2004
	Information about individual pension payments is confidential and I will write privately to the hon. Member. This is in line with paragraph 12, Part 2, of the Code of Practice on Access to Government Information.

National Insurance Credits

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will extend the scope of national insurance credits for those in training for further employment to (a) those remaining in education aged 16 to 18 years and (b) those in higher education.

Chris Pond: All young people may be credited with Class 3 contributions for the tax years in which they reach age 16 and the two following years.
	Those over 18 may pay voluntary contributions to the extent these are required to qualify for a full basic state pension. These may be paid up to six years after a period of education or training ends. It is not always necessary to pay these since it is possible to achieve full basic state pension with up to five non-qualifying years in the working life.
	We have no plans to further extend the availability of credits in these circumstances.

New Deal (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  how many people in Newcastle-under-Lyme have benefited from (a) New Deal for Lone Parents and (b) the New Deal for Partners;
	(2)  how many people in Newcastle-under-Lyme have benefited from the New Deal since 1997.

Jane Kennedy: The available information is in the table.
	
		New Deal in Newcastle-under-Lyme
		
			  Number of individuals: 
			 Programme Starting the programme Into jobs 
		
		
			 New Deal for Lone Parents 570 350 
			 New Deal for Young People 990 610 
			 New Deal 25 plus 380 160 
			 New Deal 50 plus  110 
			 Total 1,930 1,230 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal for Partners and New Deal for Disabled People.
	2. New Deal for Young People data are from January 1998 to June 2004.
	3. New Deal 25 plus information is from July 1998 to June 2004.
	4. New Deal for Lone Parents information is from October 1998 to June 2004.
	5. New Deal 50 plus information is from April 2000 to March 2003 and relates to people who have started work through New Deal 50 plus and received the 50 plus employment credit.
	6. New Deal 50 plus information is not available at a constituency level after March 2003.
	7. Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	8. Components may not sum to totals due to rounding.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

New Deal (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have been through (a) the New Deal for the over-50s, (b) New Deal for Partners, (c) New Deal for Disabled People, (d) New Deal for Lone Parents, (e) New Deal 25 plus and (f) New Deal for Young People (18 to 24) in each year in Newcastle-under-Lyme since their introduction; and how many have then obtained permanent employment.

Jane Kennedy: The available information is in the table.
	
		New Deal in Newcastle-under-Lyme
		
			  New Deal for Young People(23) New Deal 25 plus(24) New Deal for Lone Parents(25) New Deal 50 plus(26) 
			  Total leavers Leavers into sustained jobs(27) Total leavers Leavers into sustained jobs(27) Total leavers Leavers into jobs Jobs 
		
		
			 1998 90 40 10 0 0 0  
			 1999 190 80 50 10 50 30  
			 2000 200 80 80 10 120 70 20 
			 2001 210 80 70 20 210 110 50 
			 2002 210 80 100 20 160 70 40 
			 2003 190 70 100 30 80 40 10 
			 2004 100 30 30 10 40 30  
			 Total 1,200 470 440 90 670 350 110 
		
	
	(23) New Deal for Young People information is from January 1998 to June 2004.
	(24) New Deal 25 plus information is from July 1998 to June 2004.
	(25) New Deal for Lone Parents information is from October 1998 to June 2004. There is no current measure of sustainability for New Deal for Lone Parents. Information provided is for number of leavers into jobs.
	(26) New Deal 50 plus information is from April 2000 to March 2003. There is no measure of sustainability for New Deal 50 plus. Information provided is the number of people starting work through the programme with the help of the 50 plus employment credit.
	(27) For the purposes of New Deal for Young People and New Deal 25 plus, a job is regarded as sustained if no new claim is made for jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks of leaving New Deal.
	Notes:
	1. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal for Disabled People and New Deal for Partners.
	2. Information is not available at constituency level for New Deal 50 plus after March 2003.
	3. Data for New Deal for Young People, New Deal 25 plus and New Deal for Lone Parents may include people who have been through the programmes more than once, and gained sustained jobs more than once.
	4. Totals may not sum as figures for each year are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much has been spent on the New Deal for Disabled People in each year since 2001, broken down by region.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available at regional level. The available information is in the table.
	
		New Deal for Disabled People
		
			  Total expenditure  ( million) 
		
		
			 200001 14 
			 200102 10 
			 200203 31 
			 200304 42 
		
	
	Source:
	DWP Departmental Report 2004

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have entered a New Deal for Disabled People programme in each year since 2001, broken down by (a) region and (b) age.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the tables.
	
		Number of people registering with a New Deal for Disabled People job broker in each year since July 2001
		
			  Total 
		
		
			 July 2001 to March 2002 11,800 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 30,750 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 36,410 
			 April 2004 to June 2004 13,390 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by age of the total number of people who registered with a New Deal for Disabled People job broker in each year since July 2001
		
			 Age July 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to June 2004 
		
		
			 1824 520 1,600 2,790 1,250 
			 2534 2,250 5,520 7,050 2,670 
			 3549 4,880 12,490 15,100 5,650 
			 50+ 4,040 10,660 10,850 3,600 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by region of the total number of people who registered with a New Deal for Disabled People job broker in each year since July 2001
		
			 Region July 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to June 2004 
		
		
			 Scotland 670 3,110 3,720 1,460 
			 North East 1,500 3,530 4,660 1,660 
			 North West 1,800 4,370 4,580 1,770 
			 Yorkshire and  Humberside 650 1,850 1,880 1,020 
			 Wales 1,710 3,760 5,550 1,820 
			 West Midlands 620 1,860 2,450 890 
			 East Midlands 760 1,750 1,540 630 
			 East of England 620 1,480 1,660 430 
			 South East 690 2,230 2,630 810 
			 London 900 2,980 2,660 1,150 
			 South West 1,770 3,360 4,470 1,570 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The total number of registrations includes those for whom age and/or region are not recorded. For this reason and because of rounding, components will not necessarily sum to totals. 2. Data is only available since the introduction of New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) nationally in July 2001. 3. Figures relate to the number of individuals registering with a NDDP job broker, not all registrations with job brokers. For example, an individual registering two times or more with a job broker will only be included once in the figures. Source: DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the average cost per person who has entered a New Deal for Disabled People programme since 2001.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the table.
	
		Average cost of registrations on New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP)
		
			  Total NDDP expenditure  ( million) Total participants(28) Total registrations(29) Average cost per participant () Average cost per registration () 
		
		
			 200102(30) 10 11,800 13,410 847 745 
			 200203 31 30,750 34,030 1,008 911 
			 200304 42 36,410 38,140 1,154 1,101 
		
	
	(28) All figures relate to individuals who have started each programme.
	(29) An individual may have registered more than once over the period. The figures here relate to the total number of registrations.
	(30) NDDP was introduced nationally in July 2001. The expenditure shown for this year only covers the period July 2001 to March 2002.
	Source:
	DWP Departmental Report 2003 and New Deal Evaluation Database, Information and Analysis Directorate, DWP

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the cost per person of getting a person who has entered a New Deal for Disabled People programme into sustained employment; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: The information is not available. The planned implementation of a unit costing system alongside the Department's Resource Management system will provide such information in the future. Implementation in Jobcentre Plus is due to begin in autumn 2005.

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have entered a New Deal for Disabled People programme in each year since 2001 have gone on to enter sustained employment, broken down by (a) age and (b) region.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the tables.
	
		People who have registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker each year since July 2001 who have gone on to gain sustained employment
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 July 2001 to March 2002 270 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 3,620 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 10,110 
			 April 2004 to June 2004 2,670 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by age of the total number of people who have registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker each year since July 2001 who have gone on to gain sustained employment
		
			 Age July 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to June 2004 
		
		
			 18 to 24 10 140 500 160 
			 25 to 34 50 590 1,760 450 
			 35 to 49 120 1,520 4,180 1,180 
			 50+ 90 1,340 3,560 850 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by region of the total number of people who have registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker each year since July 2001 who have gone on to gain sustained employment
		
			 Region July 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to June 2004 
		
		
			 Scotland 10 260 1,270 320 
			 North East 10 570 1,530 310 
			 North West 60 390 1,230 330 
			 Yorkshire and  Humberside 0 170 500 120 
			 Wales 60 740 1,430 460 
			 West Midlands 0 130 560 220 
			 East Midlands 0 190 520 90 
			 East of England 10 110 430 140 
			 South East 0 200 550 160 
			 London 20 160 530 110 
			 South West 90 680 1,450 380 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The total number of registrations includes those for whom age and/or region are not recorded. For this reason and because of rounding, components will not necessarily sum to totals.
	2. Data are available only since the introduction of New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) nationally in July 2001.
	3. A sustained job for NDDP is counted when a customer, placed in work through a Job Broker, remains in work for a 13-week period.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate.

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have entered a New Deal for Disabled People programme in each year since 2001 have re-entered the programme later, broken down by (a) age and (b) region.

Jane Kennedy: The information is in the tables.
	
		Individuals who have registered and subsequently re-registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker each year since July 2001
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 July 2001 to March 2002 1,470 
			 April 2002 to March 2003 2,940 
			 April 2003 to March 2004 1,640 
			 April 2004 to June 2004 230 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by age of the total number of individuals who have registered and subsequently re-registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker each year since July 2001
		
			 Age July 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to June 2004 
		
		
			 1824 50 120 120 20 
			 2534 270 470 310 50 
			 3549 640 1,220 720 100 
			 50+ 510 1,120 480 70 
		
	
	
		Breakdown by region of the total number of individuals who have registered and subsequently re-registered with a New Deal for Disabled People Job Broker each year since July 2001
		
			 Region July 2001 to March 2002 April 2002 to March 2003 April 2003 to March 2004 April 2004 to June 2004 
		
		
			 Scotland 110 280 170 20 
			 North East 180 380 170 20 
			 North West 220 390 210 40 
			 Yorkshire and  Humberside 100 180 110 20 
			 Wales 190 340 240 20 
			 West Midlands 70 180 110 60 
			 East Midlands 90 160 80 10 
			 East of England 80 120 70 10 
			 South East 160 350 160 20 
			 London 100 280 120 20 
			 South West 170 250 160 10 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The total number of registrations includes those for whom age and/or region are not recorded. For this reason, and because of rounding, components will not necessarily sum to totals.
	2. Data is only available since the introduction of New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) nationally in July 2001.
	3. Figures refer to the number of individuals who registered with an NDDP Job Broker in the time period and subsequently re-registered at a later date. Individuals may be recorded in more than one period.
	Source:
	DWP Information and Analysis Directorate

New Deal for Disabled People

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether providers of the New Deal for Disabled People have been asked to change their timetable for job-placing activities under the scheme; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: Jobcentre Plus is actively reviewing current performance with all New Deal for Disabled People contractors/providers against their contract to March 2006. Any variations to those contracts would be subject to agreement on an individual basis through contract re-negotiation.
	In some cases, where Job Brokers have higher than expected conversion rates (i.e. registrations to job entries, and job entries to sustained jobs), we are discussing with them the option of re-profiling performance to maintain ongoing provision to March 2006 within their Maximum Indicative Contract Value.

New Deal for Young People

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the latest figures are for (a) the number of starts on each of the New Deal for Young People options and (b) the number of the starts that have led to sustained unsubsidised employment.

Jane Kennedy: Young people starting the New Deal for Young People programme face significant disadvantage in the workplace as they will already have been unemployed for six months. Participants enter a Gateway lasting up to four months in which a personal adviser gives them intensive job search to improve their job prospects. Of the 595,270 people who have already left the Gateway, 254,610 (43 per cent.) have entered unsubsidised, sustained work.
	Those who haven't found work at the end of the Gateway period enter the New Deal for Young People Options. These customers often have the most difficult barriers to work of the 18 to 24 age group. The Options help young people by giving them the skills, work experience and confidence they need to make them more job ready. Young people can access more than one option during a spell on New Deal for Young People, allowing them to find the support that is most likely to lead them to employment.
	Information on starts to the Options, and jobs gained, is in the table.
	
		New Deal for Young People Options
		
			 Option Total starts(31) Total unsubsidised, sustained 2 jobs gained 3 
		
		
			 Employment 82,960 32,920 
			 Full-time education and  training 187,710 42,430 
			 Voluntary sector 112,370 26,680 
			 Environmental task force 110,990 24,520 
		
	
	(31) Includes people who may have started more than one Option during a single spell on New Deal for Young People.
	(32) For the purposes of New Deal for Young People, employment is regarded as sustained if no new claim is made for jobseeker's allowance within 13 weeks of leaving New Deal.
	(33) Includes jobs gained directly from the option, and from the Follow-Through stage of New Deal for Young People after completing the option.
	Notes:
	1. Data is from the national launch of New Deal for Young People in January 1998 to the end of June 2004.
	2. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	Source:
	Information and Analysis Directorate, Department for Work and Pensions.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer from the Secretary of State for Home Department dated 29 June, ref 173275, when he will respond to the Question asked by the hon. Member dated 29 January, ref 152147; and if he will explain the reasons for the delay.

Maria Eagle: A reply has been given today. I regret the delay, which was caused by a number of administrative errors.

Pathways to Work Pilots

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will place in the Library a copy of the Pathways to Work pilot scheme evaluation referred to on page 17 of his Department's publication UK National Action Plan for Employment.

Maria Eagle: A report on interviews carried out with Personal Advisers and Incapacity Benefit customers in the first three Pathways to Work pilots was published in September 2004. A copy has been placed in the Library. [W202 'Incapacity Benefit reforms: Early Findings from Qualitative Research'.]
	A further report, which looks in detail at the role and practices of Personal Advisers across all seven pilot districts, will be published in late November. These studies are part of a wide-ranging evaluation of all aspects of the Pathways pilots. Reports on different elements of the evaluation will be placed in the Library as they are published.
	Part of the UK National Action Plan for Employment also referred to the improved job entry performance in pilot areas. This was derived from early internal analysis of Jobcentre Plus recorded job entries in the pilot areas. Since that report was written, there is now further emerging evidence showing that Pathways areas are achieving double the level of improvement in the number of recorded job entries compared to other areas. They are also getting about six times as many people to take up further help to get back to work, and there are positive and encouraging indications of an increase in flows off incapacity benefit in comparison to both last year and to non-pilot areas.

Pathways to Work Pilots

Vera Baird: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people eligible for support under the Pathways to Work pilots are aged (a) 16 to 49 and (b) over 50 years; and how many people who have found work under the Pathways to Work pilots are aged (i) 16 to 49 and (ii) over 50 years.

Maria Eagle: The information is in the table.
	
		Pathways to Work pilots
		
			 Age at entry to Pathways to Work pilot Number of starts to Pathways to Work pilots Number of job entries 
		
		
			 16 to 49 41,100 4,200 
			 50 and over 16,700 1,300 
			 Date of birth not known 500 100 
			 Total 58,300 5,600 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Includes those identified as new incapacity benefit customers for whom pilot participation is mandatory; new customers for whom a work focused interview is not mandatory because of their age (males aged 60 to 65) and may or may not have volunteered to participate; and existing customers who have volunteered to take part.
	2. Includes all recorded job entries plus return to work credit (RTWC) awards for which no Jobcentre Plus job entry is yet recorded (by definition, an RTWC award means that a job entry has occurred).
	3. Figures for job entries include New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) job starts.
	4. Figures are rounded to the nearest 100.
	5. Information is up to the end of August 2004.
	Source:
	DWP Family and Disability Division, Incapacity Benefit Reforms Database.

Pensioner Poverty

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners were living in poverty in the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last three years.

Chris Pond: Poverty and social exclusion are complex and multi-dimensional issues, affecting many aspects of peoples' livesincluding their living standards, health, housing, the quality of their environment and not just low income. The sixth annual 'Opportunity for all' report (Cm 6239) sets out the Government's strategy for tackling poverty and social exclusion and reports progress against a range of measures.
	8,500 pensioner households in Wandsworth were benefiting from the pension credit in May 2004.
	Information on the number of pensioners in low incomes in individual local authorities is not available.

Pensioners

Caroline Spelman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners received council tax benefit in 199798; what the council tax benefit take-up rate was; and what the figures are for 200405.

Chris Pond: The available information is in the table. Information is not available for 200405.
	
		Council tax benefit (CTB) beneficiaries aged 60 and over, Great Britain: May 1998 and 2003
		
			  Thousand 
		
		
			 May 1998 3,169,000 
			 May 2003 2,815,000 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The figure is based on a 1 per cent. sample and subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Council tax benefit totals exclude any Second Adult Rebate cases.
	3. Beneficiaries are all claimants and partners aged 60 or over.
	4. The figure is rounded to the nearest thousand.
	5. No information is available after May 2003.
	Source:
	1. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 1998 and May 2003.
	Estimates of the number of pensioners in receipt of council tax benefitaveraged over 199798along with revised estimates of the rate of take-up are published in the DSS report entitled Income Related Benefits Estimates of Take-up in 1998/99 (December 2000). Copies of the report can be found in the Library.

Pensioners

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many pensioners are in receipt of (a) housing benefit and (b) council tax benefit; what the total cost of the benefit is; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: The number of pensioners in receipt of housing benefit and council tax benefit, and the total cost of the benefits to pensioners are in the following tables.
	
		Housing benefit and council tax benefit recipients aged 60 and over at May 2003
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Housing benefit 1,873 
			 Council tax benefit 2,815 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Caseload figures are based on a 1 per cent. sample and subject to a degree of sampling variation.
	2. Caseloads are in millions and rounded to the nearest thousand.
	3. Council tax benefit totals exclude any second adult rebate cases.
	4. Beneficiaries are all claimants and partners aged 60 or over.
	5. Housing benefit totals exclude any extended payments.
	Source:
	Housing Benefit and Council Tax Benefit Management Information System, Annual 1 per cent. sample, taken in May 2003.
	
		Total cost of housing benefit and council tax benefit to recipients aged 60 and over -- 
		
			  Nominal terms 200405 prices 
		
		
			 Housing benefit 4,596 4,702 
			 Council tax benefit 1,684 1,723 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. All figures are in millions and have been rounded to the nearest million pounds.
	2. The costs shown are the estimated outturn for 200304 and are consistent with data published at Spending Review 2004.
	3. This information is also published in the Medium Term Forecast (table 7) on the Internet at http://www.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/expenditure.asp
	Source:
	Department for Work and Pensions Information and Analysis Division.

Pensions Protection Fund

Nigel Waterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the written ministerial statement on the Pensions Protection Fund, of 8 November 2004, Official Report, column 20WS, what estimate he has made of the amount of liability that would not be borne by the Pension Protection Fund if schemes which had had an insolvency event before the Pension Protection Fund is launched were to be excluded.

Malcolm Wicks: The Pensions Bill has always made it clear that in order for a Pension Protection Fund (PPF) assessment period to start, an eligible pension scheme must not have commenced wind-up prior to the introduction of the PPF. The sponsoring employer of the scheme must also have a qualifying insolvency event after the introduction of the PPF.
	This position has not changed. The statement on 8 November simply made it clear that if the sponsoring employer had experienced any insolvency events prior to the introduction of the PPF this would not in itself disqualify the scheme from entering the PPF.
	It is not possible to calculate the amount of liability that would not be borne by the PPF if the PPF were to exclude schemes whose sponsoring employers had an insolvency event before the PPF is launched. This is because we cannot second-guess what will happen in the complicated insolvency proceedings which will ultimately determine both whether the PPF eligibility criteria will be met, and the level of liabilities which will fall to the PPF.

Private Finance Initiatives

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will list the private finance initiative arrangements in which the Department is engaged; what the total cost of each arrangement is (a) over its lifetime and (b) in each year of its operation; and how the arrangement appears in the Department's public accounts.

Jane Kennedy: The Department for Work and Pensions is currently engaged in nine PFI initiatives. These are a combination of: (i) those let to April 2001 by the former Department for Social Security and the former Employment Service, which were executive agency's of the then Department for Education and Employment; and (ii) those let subsequently by the DWP. Contract costs for IS/IT initiatives are not provided because of commercial confidentiality. This is in line with paragraph 13, part 2 of the code of practice of Access to Government Information.
	The Department's PFI initiatives and annual expenditure are all disclosed in the Department's Resource Accounts. This information is recorded in the operating cost statement. There is also a section Commitments under PFI Contracts that lists all the PFI contracts and discloses the total payments to which the Department is committed in the next financial year.
	Where a PFI deal is specific to an Executive Agency it is also disclosed within the Agency accounts.
	The Department's Resource Account can be accessed at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/publications/dwp/2004/res_acc/report.pdf
	The Agencies Annual Reports can be accessed at: http://www.dwp.gov.uk/resourcecentre/index.asp
	All documents are available in the Library.
	The Department does not have any on-balance sheet PFI contracts.

Public Awareness Campaigns

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions pursuant to the answer of 22 July 2004, Official Report, columns 45254W, on public awareness campaigns, on what evidence his assessment is based in each case; and if he will place the relevant research in the Library.

Maria Eagle: The following table sets out a summary of campaigns and the evidence used to assess effectiveness. Copies of the reports on the Targeting Fraud Campaign, Disability Discrimination Act research and Pension Credit research are available in the Library. However, information on smaller campaigns is not generally collated into a single document and so could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	
		
			 Advertising campaign Campaign result Evidence 
		
		
			 Minimum Income Guarantee Awareness and take up levels increased Market research Number of claims 
			
			 Winter Fuel Awareness levels increased Number of new claims increasing Market research Number of claims 
			
			 Pensions Education Campaign Number of guides, visitors to website and calls increased Number of guides issued Number of visitors to website Number of calls to helpline 
			
			 Targeting Benefit Fraud Increase in awareness and progress towards key attitude changes Market research 
			
			 New Deal for Lone Parents Awareness level and number of calls to helpline increased Market research Number of calls to helpline 
			
			 New Deal for Disabled People Awareness level and number of calls to helpline increased Market research Number of calls to helpline 
			
			 New Deal 25 Plus Awareness level increased Market research 
			
			 Disability Discrimination Act Awareness levels increased Market research 
			
			 Pension Credit Awareness and take up levels increased Progress on caseload in line to meet PSA target Market research Number of claims 
			
			 State Second Pension Number of guides issued and awareness increased Number of guides issued Market research 
			
			 Inherited SERPS Awareness level increased Market research 
			
			 Direct Payment Awareness and understanding increased Market research 
			
			 Age Positive Awareness of code and website increased Market research 
			
			 The Pension Service Number of visitors and attendance at surgeries increased Number of visitors 
			
			 Council Tax Benefit Awareness level increased Market research 
			
			 Jobseeker Direct Awareness level increased Market research 
			
			 Jobcentre Plus Employer Marketing Number of vacancies increased Number of vacancies 
			
			 New Deal Awareness and number of responses increased Market research Number of replies

Public Health Act

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the number of disused petrol stations which do not meet the requirements of the Public Health Act 1961; how many improvement notices have been issued under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974; and what further steps are planned to deal with the potential detrimental effects to the environment of disused petrol stations.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	The local Petroleum Licensing Authority enforces the safety of disused petrol stations. There is no statutory obligation on them to keep records of how many sites do not meet the requirements of the Public Health Act 1961. There is also no statutory obligation on them to keep records on how many improvement notices they have issued under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 in relation to disused petrol stations. As such, it is not possible to provide the statistics requested.
	The DEFRA groundwater protection code on filling stations contains advice on decommissioning underground storage tanks and the Environment Agency has powers to enforce the code. In general, the Agency expects risks to groundwater from decommissioned tanks to be lower than from active tanks since, at worst, only residual fuel would be likely to remain. The Environment Agency's risk-based approach to groundwater protection and improvement will be taken forward under the Water Framework Directive. Local authorities also have duties under Part 11A of the Environmental Protection Act to identify contaminated land and secure remediation which may involve the Environment Agency.

Public Relations

Alan Meale: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much was spent by his Department on public relations in each of the past three years.

Maria Eagle: The Department for Work and Pensions was formed in June 2001 from the former Department of Social Security and parts of the former Department for Education and Employment including the Employment Service. Information on costs prior to June 2001 is not held centrally and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost. The available information is in the table.
	
		
			  Press office/Public relations () 
		
		
			 200102 (from June 2001) 816,725 
			 200203 1,739,935 
			 200304 1,482,811 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures represent the salary costs for press officers.
	2. The increase between 200102 and 200203 coincided with the creation of the regional press office network, which was drawn from existing Employment Service and Benefits Agency communications staff.

Retirement Age

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the (a) set retirement age applying to all or most personnel and (b) maximum age beyond which applications for employment will not be considered is in (i) his Department and (ii) its agencies.

Maria Eagle: The current retirement age for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is 65. Staff can retire at the minimum civil service pension age of 60 if they so wish but can opt to stay until 65. At present DWP also has interim arrangements in place to enable staff who are approaching 65 the opportunity to stay beyond that if they so wish. These arrangements are for grades AAG6. They do not apply to the senior civil service (SCS) as they are governed by Cabinet Office and have a retirement age of 60. Any changes to the SCS position would have to be implemented by the Cabinet Office and applied to the whole of the SCS within the civil service. These interim arrangements are in place until 31 March 2005 and were developed within the wider context of the Pensions Green Paper and impending age legislation.
	As the current retirement age for DWP is 65 we do not recruit individuals over the age of 64 years and 6 months.
	These arrangements apply across DWP and its delivery businesses but in the Health and Safety Executive the retirement age for staff differs for different grades. The retirement age varies from 6062 and depends on length of service when that age is reached.

Stakeholder Pensions

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have taken out stakeholder pensions, broken down by county.

Malcolm Wicks: Figures from the Association of British Insurers state that 2,042,864 stakeholder pensions have been sold up to the end of June 2004.
	The official distributional breakdown of sales for the 200304 tax year will not be available until July 2005.
	Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		Stakeholder pensions: Official figures 200102 and 200203 tax yearsnumber of individuals contributing by country and region -- Number of individuals (Thousand)
		
			 Country/region 200102 200203 
		
		
			 United Kingdom 840 1,060 
			
			 England   
			 North East 40 50 
			 North West 100 110 
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 80 100 
			 East Midlands 70 80 
			 West Midlands 70 90 
			 East of England 80 110 
			 London 90 110 
			 South East 110 160 
			 South West 70 90 
			 Total 710 900 
			 Wales 40 40 
			 Scotland 80 100 
			 Northern Ireland 10 10 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Table compiled from Inland Revenue Statistics (table 7.12)
	2. Components may not sum to total due to rounding (figures rounded to the nearest 10,000)
	3. The data are derived from a sample of annual returns of information submitted to the Inland Revenue by stakeholder pension providers
	4. Tables can be accessed by the public via www.inlandrevenue.gov.uk/stats/pensions/menu-by-year.htm#3

Terminal Illness (Benefit Payments)

Nicholas Winterton: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what steps his Department is taking to ensure that cancer patients are offered specialist benefits advice at diagnosis; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many cancer sufferers who have subsequently died from their illness did not receive (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance in each of the last five years for which figures are available;
	(3)  how many cancer sufferers without terminal diagnosis are not receiving (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance;
	(4)  if he will make a statement on the (a) operation and (b) take-up of the special rules gateway governing eligibility for higher rates of (i) disability living allowance and (ii) attendance allowance for patients with terminal illness;
	(5)  what steps his Department is taking to publicise the entitlement link between (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance and (i) carer's allowance and (ii) income support;
	(6)  if he will make it his Department's policy (a) to waive the three to six month qualifying period for cancer patients claiming disability living allowance and attendance allowance and (b) to permit hospital in-patients to keep their (i) disability living allowance and (ii) attendance allowance for 52 weeks;
	(7)  if he will revoke the 28-day linking rule for (a) disability living allowance and (b) attendance allowance claimants who are hospitalised; and if he will change the definition of terminal illness from six to 12 months.

Maria Eagle: The Department has special arrangements that recognise the particular difficulties faced by people who have only a short time to live, whether due to cancer or any other progressive disease. People in these circumstances are awarded attendance allowance or the highest rate of the care component of disability living allowance automatically without having to satisfy a qualifying period, and without having to complete a claim form to demonstrate their care needs. These arrangements ensure that claims are dealt with quickly and sensitively.
	In the year ending 31 May 2004 15,800 new claims were awarded under special rules and at the 31 may 2004 88,200 people were receiving either disability living allowance or attendance allowance under the Special Rules. On average it takes less than six days to make an award in these cases.
	Advice about benefits is widely available from a range of sources including social security or Jobcentre Plus offices, post offices, doctors' surgeries and other advice agencies to ensure that people who are disabled can make informed decisions about whether or not to claim disability benefits.
	Additionally, leaflets explaining the links between disability benefits and carers allowance and income support are sent directly to customers when they are notified about their award of benefit.
	Officials have met with Macmillan cancer relief to discuss their report and will be holding further discussions with them about the scope for measures that will help people with cancer to receive benefits advice at the earliest opportunity.
	Information is not available on how many people with cancer who subsequently died from that illness did not receive disability living allowance or attendance allowance nor is information available as to how many people with cancer who do not have a terminal diagnosis are not receiving these benefits.
	There are no plans to change the definition of terminal illness or the rules governing the payment of disability living allowance and attendance allowance to people in hospital.

Third Party Deduction Schemes

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  whether he plans to extend the range of qualifying benefits for third party deductions schemes; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what representations he has received concerning the modernisation of the third party deductions schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Pond: Third party deductions can be made from income support, jobseeker's allowance and pension credit where people are in specified arrears with their gas, electricity and water bills, and also where they are in arrears with their housing costs and court imposed fines. There are no current plans to extend the range of benefits from which these deductions can be made.
	We have recently received representation from The Office of Gas and Electricity Markets (OFGEM) concerning the fuel elements of the third party deduction scheme and we will be meeting with them to discuss the issues raised.

Unemployment (Eltham)

Clive Efford: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what steps his Department has taken to reduce unemployment in the constituency of Eltham since 1997; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: As a result of a combination of economic stability and our radical labour market policies, unemployment in Eltham has reduced by 45 per cent. since 1997 and now stands at 1,417, and long-term unemployment by 75 per cent. to stand at 200.
	Our New Deal programmes administered by Jobcentre Plus have been a great success, helping 1,780 people in Eltham to find work. We are building on this success, opening up more opportunities for people to find work.
	The development of Jobcentre Plus is building on the high quality service already provided by social security offices and Jobcentres by delivering a single, integrated service to all people of working age, with a clear focus on work.
	In addition to the New Deal programmes, which are common to Jobcentre Plus, there have been ongoing activities specific to Eltham and the borough of Greenwich, to help local people in to work. Local initiatives have included jobs fairs, recruitment for local stores and employer open days.
	Eltham also benefits from the Government's Welfare to Work agenda's 'Action Team initiative' that provides tailored support to disadvantaged customers within the community through an outreach advisory approach.

Webster House

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  where crisis loans will be paid when Webster House in Kirkby is closed;
	(2)  how much his Department has allocated to the WIN scheme for Kirkby; which parts of the town are covered by the scheme; how many people have taken part in it; what the scheme's targets are; what its results against targets are to date; how many staff work on the scheme; and from where it will be administered when Webster House closes.

Jane Kennedy: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, David Anderson. He will write to the hon. Member.
	Letter from David Anderson to Mr. George Howarth, dated 18 November 2004
	The Secretary of State has asked me to reply to your questions concerning the delivery of the Working Neighbourhoods pilot in Knowsley and the issue of Crisis Loan processing. This is something which falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	It may be helpful if I explain how the overall funding has been distributed for the pilot. The Employment Development  Modernisation Fund provided 77m for the 12 pilot sites operating in some of the most deprived neighbourhoods in the country for the period 2004/05 to 2005/06. Of this, 5m was allocated for set up and evaluation costs. Of the remaining 72m, each pilot site will receive 3m per year of which 1m is discretionary funding to allow personal advisers, working with Local Strategic Partnerships, the flexibility to meet individual and community needs.
	The Working Neighbourhood pilot for Knowsley delivers to selected parts of the Northwood and Towerhill wards. The postcode boundary for the site contains around 6,000 residents, with approximately 2,000 in receipt of working age benefits.
	The most recent statistics produced for 31 October 2004 indicate the Knowsley pilot has engaged with 879 customers of which 188 are volunteers to the programme.
	With regard to the pilot's targets, there will be overall monitoring of performance and objectives which will then be evaluated. The evaluation of the objectives aims to test the extent to which the programme of local intensive work focussed action is effective in addressing long-standing barriers to work experienced by residents of deprived areas; the number of individuals moving into work and by how much it decreases the overall workless rate within the pilot area.
	Whilst Jobcentre Plus job entry targets relate to movement into full time employment all who enter full time, part time and voluntary employment will count as successes for evaluation of the pilot. Retention figures will be gathered for those residents remaining in full time employment for 4, 13 and 26 weeks.
	Turning to the results the Knowsley pilot has achieved to date I am able to inform you as of 31 October 2004 229 residents from the pilot have moved into employment. To clarify this further the table below gives a breakdown of the benefit groups involved.
	
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 Incapacity benefit 30 
			 Invalid care allowance 0 
			 Income support 63 
			 Jobseekers' allowance 133 
			 Other benefits 1 
			 None 2 
		
	
	Twenty staff have been allocated to deliver the Knowsley pilot. The majority of them are personal advisers.
	The intended closure of Webster House should have no impact on the Working Neighbourhoods pilot as it has never been delivered from Webster House. The pilot and associated mandatory work focussed interviews have been conducted form the Jobcentre Plus office at St. Chads House, Kirkby. It is also being delivered in the community to voluntary customers from partner's premises and most recently from a Working Neighbourhoods portakabin sited in Northwood.
	With regard to the issue of Crisis Loan processing currently undertaken in Webster House, I can confirm that we are looking at the delivery of all of the services in Webster House and the future delivery of Crisis Loans will be included in this. We will consult on our proposals with our staff, trade unions and local partners as soon as plans are fully developed.
	I have asked the District Manager for Greater Mersey to keep you updated on all developments. She can be contacted on 01704 306078.
	I hope this is helpful.

Work Focused Interviews

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people have attended one or more Work Focused Interviews in each of the three incapacity benefit pilot areas; how many of these individuals have (a) secured employment, (b) been referred to condition management and (c) been referred to a New Deal for Disabled People broker; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Eagle: In total, there have been 5,600 job entries in the Pathways to Work pilots to the end of August 2004. Of these, 4,200 were in the first three pilot districts which have been up and running since the end of October 2003 The following table sets out the details requested solely in relation to those who have had an initial work-focused interview:
	
		Outcomes in the first three pathways to work pilots to August 2004
		
			  Initial work focused interviews attended Job entries Referred to condition management programme Referred to new deal for disabled people 
		
		
			 Renfrewshire, Inverclyde, Argyll and Bute 2,818 449 174 211 
			 Bridgend and Rhondda, Cynon, Taf 2,923 417 125 558 
			 Derbyshire 3,211 411 235 272 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. The first three Pathways to Work pilots commenced on 27 October 2003.
	2. Work Focused Interviews should take place at around eight weeks after the start of the benefit claim. This means that majority of benefits starts in July and August will not be included in the data.
	3. Initial Work Focused Interviews attended refers to the actual number of Work Focused Interviews that have taken place. Some individuals will have attended more than one Work Focused Interview. These will be people who have started more than one benefit spell since 27 October 2003.
	4. Job starts: This includes all recorded job entries plus Return to Work Credit (RTWC) awards for which no job entry is yet recorded. (By definition, an RTWC award must indicate that a job entry has occurred).
	5. The total number of job entries in the first three pilot areas is higher than that recorded in the table. This table excludes job entries achieved with existing clients who had already started to claim benefit before 27 October 2003 and those not required to have a work-focused interview.
	6. Job starts figures include job starts achieved through referral to New Deal for Disabled People (NDDP) job brokers.
	7. The job starts figures represent all job starts that have occurred subsequent to an initial Work Focused Interview within the same benefit spell.
	8. Referred to Condition Management Programme: this represents all Condition Management Programme referrals that have occurred subsequent to an initial Work Focused Interview within the same benefit spell.
	9. New Deal for Disabled People referrals: The data provided is all NDDP broker registrations plus referrals to NDDP brokers that have not yet resulted in a registration. This represents all NDDP referrals that have occurred subsequent to an initial Work Focused Interview within the same benefit spell.

Work Preparation Programmes

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the cost per person of getting a person who has entered (a) an Access to Work programme, (b) a Work Preparation programme and (c) Workstep into sustained employment; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how much has been spent on (a) Access to Work, (b) Work Preparation and (c) Workstep in each year since 2001, broken down by region;
	(3)  what estimate he has made of the average cost per person who has entered (a) an Access to Work programme, (b) a Work Preparation programme and (c) Workstep since 2001.

Maria Eagle: Information on the costs associated with getting a person into sustained employment through the Access to Work and Work Preparation programmes is not available.
	Access to Work helps disabled people who are already employed, or about to start a job by providing a grant to help overcome barriers in the workplace associated with disability. Since the programme began in June 1994, the average Access to Work spend per person is 1,346. The available information on the spend on the Access to Work programme, broken down by region, is in Table 1.
	Work Preparation is an individually tailored programme designed to help people with health conditions or a disability return to work following a long period of sickness or unemployment. It can also help people who are at risk of losing their job because of their disability by helping them to overcome difficulties that are affecting their work. The available information on spend on the Work Preparation programme is in Table 2. The average spend per person entering Work Preparation since 2001 is 1,144.
	Workstep provides tailored support to find, secure and retain jobs for disabled people who have more complex barriers to finding and keeping work. While on Workstep, participants who are able to progress into unsupported jobs are given the support to do so, and Workstep continues to help those who cannot. Since 2001, when Workstep was introduced, an average of 1,900 people a year have progressed into unsupported jobs of which Remploy Limited has contributed an average of 1,400 progressions per year and non-Remploy providers have contributed an average of 500 progressions per year. When a progressed participant is in employment six months after the date of progression, and has been in employment for a minimum of 22 weeks in a 26-week period, this is deemed to be sustained progression. An outcome payment of 500 per person is paid to Workstep providers (except Remploy) when sustained progression is achieved. The total average spend per person on Workstep (including Remploy) is approximately 6,700.
	Information on how much has been spent on Workstep in each year since 2001 broken down by region is not available. Information on national costs in each year is in Table 3.
	
		Table 1: Access to Work programmeNational and regional spend since 2002 --  million
		
			 Region 200203 200304 Total 
		
		
			 Yorkshire and the Humber 2.705 3.393 6.098 
			 North East 2.396 2.579 4.975 
			 North West 4.957 5.563 10.520 
			 Scotland 4.470 3.999 8.469 
			 Wales 1.691 1.923 3.614 
			 West Midlands 4.689 4.522 9.212 
			 East Midlands 3.286 3.700 6.986 
			 East of England 4.445 5.815 10.260 
			 South West 4.647 4.785 9.432 
			 London 7.986 8.964 16.950 
			 South East 4.933 6.509 11.442 
			 Central Spend(34) 4.998 4.093 9.090 
			 Total 51.203 55.845 107.048 
		
	
	(34) Spend is not available broken down by region.
	Note:
	A regional breakdown is not available for 200102. National spend for the year was 42.492 million.
	Source:
	Disability and Rehabilitation Division
	
		Table 2: Work Preparation ProgrammeNational spendsince 2001
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 7.466 
			 200203 7.821 
			 200304 10.049 
			 Total 25.336 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Spend is not available broken down by region.
	2. Figures for 200102 are for the predecessor programme to Work Preparation, the Employment Rehabilitation Programme.
	Source:
	Disability and Rehabilitation Division.
	
		Table 3: WorkstepNational spend since 2001 --  million
		
			  Workstep spend Remploy Ltd. Total spend 
		
		
			 200102 60.056 98.561 158.617 
			 200203 59.339 119.162 178.501 
			 200304 74.175 115.000 189.175 
			 Total 193.570 332.723 526.293 
		
	
	Note:
	Spend is not available broken down by region.
	Source:
	Disability and Rehabilitation Division.

Work Preparation Programmes

Paul Goodman: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people who have entered (a) an Access to Work programme, (b) a Work Preparation programme and (c) Workstep in each year since 2001 have gone on to enter sustained employment, broken down by (i) age and (ii) region.

Maria Eagle: Access to Work is a specialist disability programme, which provides practical advice and support to help disabled people enter or stay in paid employment. The support is aimed at overcoming work related obstacles resulting from disability. It does this through a system of grants towards the cost of providing support.
	Types of help available include the additional costs in travelling to work, providing human intervention support in the workplace, adapting work premises and providing special aids and equipment in the workplace.
	Access to Work is open to those who are employed as well as people moving out of unemployment and is a highly effective job retention measure.
	There are many disabled people, who with the right amount of support are perfectly capable of working if they wish to do so. Access to Work can help provide that support.
	Information as requested in the question is not available as customers are already in work or have a job to start.
	Work Preparation is an individually tailored, work-focused programme that enables disabled people to address barriers associated with their disability and prepare for working with the confidence necessary to achieve and sustain their job goal.
	Although each customer has specific needs, the broad areas, which are addressed during the Work Preparation programmes are the need to develop in one or more of the following areas:
	Occupational decision-making
	Job-finding behaviours
	Job-keeping behaviours

Work-related Illness

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the percentage of people who attributed heart disease to work-related stress in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Jane Kennedy: A survey of work-related ill-health in 200102 estimated that 80,000 people believed their heart disease, heart attack or circulatory problem was caused or made worse by their work. Information does exist on the number of people in the UK suffering from heart disease but the numbers are not directly comparable with estimates of ill-health and so it is not possible to provide a percentage figure.

Basic State Pension

Archy Kirkwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) men and (b) women in (i) the Scottish Borders, (ii) Scotland and (iii) the UK are entitled to the full basic State Pension.

Malcolm Wicks: The information is not available in the format requested. The information that is available is in the table.
	
		
			 Area Men Women 
		
		
			 Great Britain 3,486,000 3,162,500 
			 Scotland 305,500 307,100 
			 Scottish Borders 7,900 7,700 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Figures are taken from a 5 per cent. sample and are therefore subject to a high degree of sampling variation.
	2. Data is rounded to the nearest hundred. Totals may not sum due to rounding.
	3. Local authorities are assigned by matching postcodes against the relevant Office for National Statistics postcode directory.
	4. A full basic State Pension, 77.45 in 200304, is paid to those who fully satisfy the contribution conditions either in their own right or where applicable, on the basis of their late or former spouse's contributions.
	Source:
	IAD Information Centre, 5 per cent. sample as at 31 March 2004.

TRADE AND INDUSTRY

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when Advantage West Midlands was first informed of the possibility that they might no longer be able to account for assets on a portfolio basis but should value and account for assets on an individual basis.

Jacqui Smith: The National Audit Office first told Advantage West Midlands (AWM) along with all other RDAs of this issue in February 2004. However, the RDAs and the National Audit Office agreed that there should be no change in accounting treatment for the 200304 financial year, but that this change in accounting treatment should take effect from 1 April 2004.

Advantage West Midlands

Ross Cranston: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether the projects and investments undertaken by Advantage West Midlands meet European state aid requirements;
	(2)  how much Advantage West Midlands will make available for revenue funding on new projects in (a) 200405 and (b) 200506 in (i) regeneration zones and (ii) elsewhere in the region;
	(3)  whether Advantage West Midlands is expected to meet key performance targets on (a) learning opportunities created, (b) jobs created and safeguarded, (c) new business created and attracted and (d) other areas in (i) 200405 and (ii) 200506;
	(4)  to which projects Advantage West Midlands has issued letters imposing claw-back requirements so that funding may be withheld or withdrawn even if schemes reach output performance targets.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. and learned Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Appointments

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what appointments her Department has made to (a) British Energy plc, (b) BNFL plc, (c) the Export Credits Guarantee Department, (d) Royal Mail plc and (e) the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority since June.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Batteries

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of the impact of a total ban on the sale and use of nickel-cadmium batteries on employment in the United Kingdom.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Batteries

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment her Department has made of alternatives to nickel-cadmium batteries for uses that (a) require reliability and high discharge and charge rates and (b) need to operate at low temperatures.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Battery Directive

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the UK Government's position on the proposed new EU Battery Directive [COM(2003)723 final].

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

BT

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action she will take to ensure that BT fulfils its obligation to provide an improved IPStream to DataStream migration process in the broadband market.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Angels

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much has been spent on promoting the business angel concept in each year since 1998 through (a) grants and (b) business angel networks.

Nigel Griffiths: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department has provided the following grant funding to the National Business Angels Network to help promote the business angel concept.
	
		
			  Grant funding () 
		
		
			 1998 50,000 
			 1999 50,000 
			 2000 340,000 
			 2001 250,000 
			 2002 147,000 
			 2003 165,000 
			 2004 140,500 
		
	
	(b) The Department has not provided any funding to business angels networks. These receive their funding from a variety of sources, including Regional Development Agencies, enterprise agencies and Business Links. We do not hold any information on how much has been spent by the business angels networks on promoting the business angel concept.

Business Regulation

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1148W, on business regulation, which of the reviews were conducted by her Department; and what changes to legislation were proposed as a result of each review.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Start-ups

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what rules apply to (a) eligibility for and (b) payment of the Seed Corn Grant scheme; and whether the scheme is available to start-up businesses in (i) Newcastle-under-Lyme and (ii) Stoke-on-Trent.

Nigel Griffiths: The Business Innovation Centre in Stafford is in receipt of European Regional Development Funds to operate its Seed Corn Grant Scheme, which is available to start-up small businesses in the Objective 2 area of North Staffordshire. This includes both Newcastle-under-Lyme and Stoke-on-Trent. Basic eligibility is determined by the presence or proposed presence of a business in the qualifying area. Detailed criteria and advice on how to apply are available from the Business Innovation Centre.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list spending on (a) business support products and (b) administration by (i) the Small Business Service, (ii) other departmental support for small business and (iii) innovation within the departmental activity of commercial best practice and enterprise in each year since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 828W, on business support, what financial provisions her Department has made for subsidised consultancy in (a) Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea and (b) Support to Implement Best Business Practice.

Nigel Griffiths: Financial provision to help small and medium enterprises to undertake subsidised consultancy projects to improve their competitiveness in the current financial year (200405) is:
	(a) Grant for Investigating an Innovative Idea is1 million; and
	(b) Support to Implement Best Business Practice8 million.
	In both cases this includes the cost of a diagnostic process which helps the business develop its strategy and to formulate the right project.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial provision her Department has made for funding (a) grants for research and development and (b) collaborative research and development business support products.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what funding each of the Knowledge Transfer Partner sponsors provided in the last year for which figures are available; and what each sponsor's criteria for funding are.

Nigel Griffiths: I have placed details of the funding of each of the Knowledge Transfer Partnership sponsors, together with the criteria, in the Libraries of both Houses.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what (a) services and (b) products her Department offers to businesses to enable them to access best business practice; and what financial provision her Department has made for this in the current financial year.

Nigel Griffiths: Services to encourage and enable businesses to access and adopt best business practice are delivered through DTI business support products and the award winning website www.dti.gov.uk/bestpractice
	The Access to Best Business Practice product raises awareness of best practice through the provision of best practice material including: hard copy and on-line publications; fact sheets; case studies; guides; and events promoting best practice. The Support to Implement Best Business Practice product provides SMEs with practical, tailored help to implement specific best practice solutions. It includes an in-depth diagnostic undertaken with a Business Link adviser that assess a company's performance.
	We expect to spend 6 million on Access to Best Business Practice, and 8 million on Support to Implement Best Business practice in the current financial year.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many Knowledge Transfer Partnerships have been part-funded by Government grant; and what the total cost of these grants was.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Knowledge Transfer networks have been established; how much has been allocated for grants to support Knowledge Transfer networks; to which organisations; and what financial provision her Department has made for funding Knowledge Transfer networks in the current financial year.

Nigel Griffiths: Knowledge Transfer Networks were established as one of the ten DTI Business Support products at the launch of the Technology Strategy in April 2004. The assessment process of bids submitted for this call was completed on the 7 November.

Business Support

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many loans have been guaranteed through the Small Firms Loan Guarantee Scheme since 1995 broken down by (a) region and (b) sector; and what the value of grants was in each case in each year.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Support

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which businesses are involved in the Business Volunteer Mentoring Scheme; and what assessment she has made of the scheme's contribution to British enterprise.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Support

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the (a) role, (b) membership, (c) date of inception and (d) resource budget are of the (i) Small Business Investment Task Force, (ii) Regional Industrial Development Board and (iii) DTI Business Board.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Car Wise Scheme

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the Car Wise scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 1 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Carbon Emissions

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the carbon dioxide emission levels were (a) in the UK and (b) in other EU member states at the latest date for which figures are available.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Carbon Emissions

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she will publish the latest revisions to her Department's forecasts for energy consumption and carbon emission levels for the UK in (a) 2010 and (b) 2020; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Casinos

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what meetings (a) she, (b) her departmental Ministers and (c) departmental advisers and officials have held with representatives of (i) Sun City International, (ii) MGM Mirage, (iii) the Mandalay Resort Group, (iv) Kerzner International, (v) Las Vegas Sands Inc.,(vi) Harrah's Entertainment, (vii) Caesar's Entertainment and (viii) other foreign casino firms; what the (A) dates and (B) venues were of the meetings; and which individuals were present.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Civil Partnership Bill

Jeffrey M Donaldson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many letters have been received by her Department since 5 March which oppose implementing the Civil Partnership Bill in Northern Ireland.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 9 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Clear Skies Initiative

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many grants were paid to Scottish-based companies under the Clear Skies Initiative in the last financial year; and what the value was;
	(2)  how many grants were paid under the Clear Skies Initiative in the last financial year;
	(3)  how many employees of Scottish based companies have been seconded to other companies under the Clear Skies Initiative in the last calendar year;
	(4)  how many Scottish based companies are taking part in the mentoring scheme under the Clear Skies Initiative;
	(5)  how many Scottish based companies are registered under the Clear Skies Initiative.

Mike O'Brien: The Clear Skies Initiative provides grants for homeowners and community groups in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. Grants for homeowners and community groups in Scotland are provided through a parallel scheme, the Scottish Community and Householder Renewables Initiative, which is the responsibility of the Scottish Executive.
	In the financial year 200304, the Clear Skies Initiative offered 2,556 grants worth 1,541,750 under the householder stream and paid out on 1,923 grants worth 1,101,850. Under the community stream, the initiative offered 167 grants worth 3,365,057 and paid out on 27 worth 306,964.
	The Clear Skies Initiative manages installer registration for the UK, including Scotland. There are currently (based on data available at 31 August 2004) 17 organisations in Scotland that are installer registered. It is the installer organisations that are registered and not individual employees or sub-contractors. The DTI does not monitor the secondment of individual employees from these installer organisations.
	Based on data available at 31 August 2004, there are currently no Scottish based organisations being mentored. There are four organisations in Scotland that are approved to undertake a mentoring role (although this is voluntary). Other organisations from across England, Wales and Northern Ireland may also undertake a mentoring role for Scottish based organisations.

Coal

Michael Clapham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much solid fuel was provided to beneficiaries under the National Concessionary Fuel Agreement in the last year for which figures are available; what the cost was; how many beneficiaries were in receipt of cash in lieu of solid fuel under the Agreement; and what the cost was.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Collieries

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what financial assistance has been made available to companies operating the Harworth and Welbeck collieries in the past five years; whether all such finance has been paid; what recent discussions she has held about the collieries' future; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 17 November 2004
	The following table sets out payments to UK Coal plc since 2000:
	
		
		
			  UK coal operating aid scheme Coal investment aid 
			  Tranche 1 Tranche 2 Total paid Period 1 Period 2 Paid to date 
		
		
			 Total 52,988,500 22,011,500 75,000,000 37,464,853 13,985,116 5,072,407 
			 Of which:   
			 Harworth 13,609,000  13,609,000 4,648,000 1,717,800 1,085,508 
			 Welbeck5,244,000 2,541,989 918,493 
		
	
	No substantive discussions have been held recently about the collieries' futures. UK Coal have advised us that both are in review following operationally difficult periods but hope that this will lead to the development of revised mining plans which will secure the future of both pits.

Companies Act

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the amount paid into court pursuant to the provision of section 430 (11) of the Companies Act 1985 in the last year; and what use the Government have made of these funds.

Jacqui Smith: Between November 2003 and the end of October 2004 there were approximately 25 cases where payments were made into court under the provisions of section 430 (11) of the Companies Act 1985. Payments into court involved approximately 7,550 individual dissentient shareholdings with an approximate total value of 1.5 million.
	The funds are invested with the National Debt Commissioners as directed by the Administration of Justice Act 1982.

Companies Act

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the financial sum that has been paid into court pursuant to the provision of section 431 (11) of the Companies Act 1985 in the last year; and what use the Government have made of these funds.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Construction Industry

Mark Todd: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the frequency of Health and Safety inspection in the construction industry and the (a) choice and (b) sanctions against enforcement of breaches reported; and if she will make a statement.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much expenditure her Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the press and public relations of her Department; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Corporate Sponsorship

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by her Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies, since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

COT3 Settlements

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the merits of amending the law so that unpaid COT3 settlements accrue interest on the same basis as awards made by an employment tribunal; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 28 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

COT3 Settlements

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of (a) the number of employment tribunal awards which remain unpaid and (b) the number of COT3 settlements which remain unpaid; and what the monetary value of awards was in the last three years;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the cost to public funds of employment tribunal processes which resulted in an award which was not paid in the last three years.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 28 October 2004
	No statistics are available on the number of unpaid employment tribunal awards and COT3 settlements, and it is therefore not possible to estimate any contingent costs. However, DTI officials are working with DCA colleagues towards delivery of the DCA White Paper ('Transforming Public Services: Complaints redress and Tribunals') commitment to improve the enforceability of awards.

Departmental Advertising

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for her Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Advertising

Henry Bellingham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much her Department has spent on advertising posts in (a) 2002 and (b) 2003.

Patricia Hewitt: When running recruitment campaigns, my Department uses the services of advertising agencies to place our advertisements and to seek appropriate media advice, depending on the nature of the post to be filled.
	The recruiting management unit generally meet recruitment costs from their own delegated budgets and there are no centrally held records for advertising costs.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations which previously held contracts with her Department (a) won new contracts at the culmination of the existing contracts and (b) won new contracts after a period of inactivity with her Department in each of the past four years.

Patricia Hewitt: This information is not held centrally and can be provided only at disproportionate cost.

Departmental IT

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what percentage of the Department's (a) implemented and (b) planned computer systems use open source software; and what plans are in place to raise this level.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the South Dorset constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the South Dorset constituency.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Drinking Water

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the position of the UK Government is in determining the European Union's policy regarding whether to include drinking water in the World Trade Organisation's negotiations on global trade.

Douglas Alexander: The European Union has requested a number of members of the World Trade Organisation to offer commitments under the General Agreement on Trade in Services (GATS) that provide for market access in relation to the provision of services related to the supply of water for human use.
	Many people in developing countries lack access to clean drinking water and it is a Millennium Development Target to halve the number of people in this position by 2015. Many of these countries need assistance to provide the infrastructure required to meet this target. It is widely recognised that the private sector can have a role to play in this regard.
	The EU's requests give developing countries the opportunity to consider whether guarantees of market access may enhance private sector participation. It is for governments to choose for themselves whether or not to open their water services to foreign suppliers. Nothing in GATS forces them to privatise or prevents them regulating appropriately.
	The EU's requests reflect the collective interests of the EU and member states. The UK has not itself requested the inclusion of water services.

Economic Initiatives (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what steps the Government have taken to help small businesses in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997;
	(2)  how many new businesses have (a) started up in and (b) relocated to Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Economic Initiatives (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many businesses have benefited from Regional Selective Assistance in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997;
	(2)  how much Regional Selective Assistance has been invested in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Economic Initiatives (Newcastle-under-Lyme)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much Newcastle-under-Lyme has received by way of European Objective 2 funding since 1997; and which projects have benefited there from such funding.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Electricity Supply

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the possibility of electricity blackouts due to lack of gas this winter.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Employment

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the number of jobs which (a) moved abroad from the UK and (b) were created in the UK in 2004.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Employment

David Laws: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her estimate is of the number of people in (a) Yeovil constituency, (b) South Somerset and (c) Somerset in work who are earning less than (i) the minimum wage, (ii) 5 per hour, (iii) 5.50 per hour, (iv) 6 per hour, (v) 6.50 per hour, (vi) 7.50 per hour and (vii) 10 per hour; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Employment Tribunals

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are in place to ensure that companies make payments to former employees that are agreed by an employment tribunal.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Employment Tribunals

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Department has to ensure that employees given awards at employment tribunals against former employers who are subsequently declared bankrupt receive an award.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Former employees of insolvent employers can claim employment tribunal awards of redundancy payments, basic awards for unfair dismissal, protective awards and awards of other contractual debts such as unpaid wages, notice pay and outstanding holiday pay from Redundancy Payments Offices. All payments are subject to statutory limits. Amounts over the statutory limits can be lodged as debts in the insolvency.

Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government programmes involve incentives for the use of heat generated from renewable sources; and what funding the Government have given to these programmes.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will develop a heat efficiency strategy for England and Wales.

Mike O'Brien: My right hon. Friend the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs is responsible for matters relating to the efficient use of energy, including heat.
	With respect to the generation of heat from renewable or low carbon sources, my Department is commissioning a study to assess the size and costs of the available resource.

Energy Supplies (Africa)

Mike Gapes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her assessment is of the potential development of energy supplies from sub-Saharan Africa.

Mike O'Brien: According to BP's Statistical Review of World Energy 2004, sub-Saharan Africa has significant potential energy reserves, with around 4.2 per cent. of world oil reserves, 3.5 per cent. of world, gas reserves and 5 per cent. of world coal reserves.

Energy Use (Public Sector)

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on (a) trends in public sector energy usage over the last five years and (b) proposed trends in public sector energy usage over the next (i) five and (ii) 10 years.

Mike O'Brien: Use of energy within the public sector fell by 16 per cent. between 1998 and 2003. Projections for energy consumption in this sector indicate further reductions over the next 10 years.
	Part E of the Sustainable Development Framework, published in February 2004, sets out the Government's aims for dealing with energy use in the Government Estate. The targets agreed for the central Government Estate are:
	to reduce absolute carbon, from reductions in fuel and electricity used in buildings on their estate, by 12.5 per cent. by 201011, relative to 19992000;
	to increase the energy efficiency of the buildings on their estate, measured in terms of kWh of (1) fuel and (2) electricity use per square metre of buildings floor area, or estate area, by 15 per cent. by 201011, relative to 19992000;
	to source at least 10 per cent. of electricity from renewable sources by 31 March 2008;
	to source at least 15 per cent. of electricity from Good Quality Combined Heat and Power by 2010;
	to include clauses to ensure opportunities are identified and measures taken for reducing carbon emissions and collecting energy data (by fuel type), as far as practical, in all estate management contracts initiated from August 2004;
	by March 2006 Government will develop a long-term strategy, up to 2020, for sourcing renewable energy on the Government Estate.
	For the purposes of meeting the first target on absolute carbon reductions, all bought-in electricityincluding from renewables and CHPwill be converted to carbon at the standard grid factor. (Carbon savings from renewables are attributed to the generators, so this procedure avoids double counting these savings.)
	Additionally, there are targets for NHS bodies within England to reduce their level of primary energy consumption by 15 per cent. from March 2000 to March 2010.

Energy White Paper 2003

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will (a) list and (b) place copies in the Library of each paper on nuclear power officials of her Department prepared as part of the contribution to the Energy White Paper 2003.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on protection against dumped imports met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on protection against subsidised imports met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on common rules for exports of products met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Quota Administration Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on common rules for imports from certain third world countries met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(6)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on defence against obstacles to trade which affect the market of the Community or a non-member country met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(7)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Textile Committee (conventional regime) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(8)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee on common rules for imports of textile products from certain third world countries (autonomous regime) met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(9)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee for implementation of the Community market-access strategy met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(10)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on common rules for imports of products from third countries met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The number of times that these Committees met is a matter for the EU Commission but if meetings had been called, these Committees would have met in Brussels and a UK Government representative would have attended. No statement is necessary on the workings or running of these Committees.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for the harmonisation of credit insurance provisions for transactions with medium and long-term cover met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: The Committee referred to meets only to consider a limited, number of issues. It did not meet during the Greek presidency.
	During the Greek presidency, the European Council Working Group on Export Credits met five times in Brussels. Officials from ECGD were present.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Advisory Committee on (a) State aid for the applications of Articles 92 and 93 of the EC Treaty to certain categories of horizontal State aid (exemption) and (b) State aid on the arrangements for applying Article 93 of the EC Treaty (procedure), met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations each Committee produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of each Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(2)  how many times during the Greek Presidency of the EU the Committee on the implementation of projects promoting co-operation and commercial relations between the European Union and the industrialised countries in North America, the Far East and Australasia met; when and where these meetings took place; what UK Government expert was present; and if she will make a statement;
	(3)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Standing Committee on technical rules and standards, including rules relating to information society services, met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations each Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (A) the EU and (B) the UK Government as a result of each Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(4)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Management Committee on horizontal questions concerning trade in processed agricultural products not listed in Annex I met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (A) the EU and (B) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(5)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for the adaption to technical progress of Directives on the removal of technical barriers to trade in the sector of detergents met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (A) the EU and (B) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(6)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for the adaption to technical progress of Directives on the removal of technical barriers to trade in the sector of fertilisers met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (A) the EU and (B) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(7)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Committee for the adaptation to technical progress of directives on the removal of technical barriers to trade in the sector of lifting and mechanical handling appliances met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by the (A) EU and (B) UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(8)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the EC-China RTD Co-operation Steering Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement;
	(9)  how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the EC-India RTD Co-operation Steering Committee met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (a) technical and (b) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (i) proposed and (ii) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Presidency (Greece)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU (a) the EC-Canada Joint Committee on scientific and technological co-operation, (b) the EC-Russia Joint Committee on scientific and technological co-operation and (c) the EC-Argentina RTD Co-operation Steering Committee met; when and where each meeting took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Presidency (Greece)

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU (a) the Advisory Committee for co-operation in the field of tourism, (b) the Committee on conformity assessment and surveillance of the telecommunications market and (c) the Advisory Committee for the transparency of measures governing the pricing of medicinal products for human use met; when and where each meeting took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations each Committee produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of each Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: The Telecommunication Conformity Assessment and Market Surveillance Committee established under Article 13 of the Radio Equipment and Telecommunications Terminal Equipment Directive (1999/5/EC) met once during the Greek presidency on 12 and 13 March 2003 in Brussels. The UK was represented by three officials from the Department of Trade and Industry and one from the Office of Telecommunications. At this meeting UK officials were involved in discussions on several different technical issues concerning the scope for regulation under the directive and free movement of compliant apparatus. No financial matters were discussed. The outcome of the meeting influenced application of the directive across member states.

EU Social Chapter

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her answer of 3 November 2004, Official Report, column 274W, on the EU Social Chapter, what method was used for calculating the (a) policy costs and (b) administrative costs to employers of providing rights under the Social Chapter.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Andrew Stunell: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures (a) her Department and (b) the Export Credits Guarantee Department (i) has undertaken and (ii) plans to undertake to comply with the Sustainable Energy (CHP Provisions) Order 2003.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Export Credits Guarantee Department

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to announce revised anti-bribery guidelines within the rules which came into force on 1 May to be followed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department.

Douglas Alexander: Discussions with ECGD's customers and their representative bodies concerning the final form of these procedures are nearing their conclusion. Revised application forms will come into force thereafter.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  which companies and organisations her Department consulted in drawing up the original anti-bribery guidelines to be followed by the Export Credits Guarantee Department;
	(2)  what the results were of the consultation her Department conducted with interested organisations and companies to ascertain their views on the anti-bribery guidelines which came into force on 1 May.

Douglas Alexander: ECGD's original measures to combat bribery and corruption were the subject of formal consultation with a range of customers' trade associations prior to coming into force in September 2000. Customers and other organisations were informed of subsequent changes to the procedures on four occasions since then, most recently on 4 March 2004.
	Following the introduction of revised procedures on 1 May 2004, ECGD and DTI officials have held discussions with interested parties who made representations about their implementation, with a view to resolving issues surrounding the details and practical application of aspects of its existing bribery and corruption procedures.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what new forecasts she is conducting on the monetary impact of her revised anti-bribery guidelines on the volume of business supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department; and when the results of those new forecasts will be made available;
	(2)  what forecasts (a) her Department and (b) the Treasury conducted which estimated the monetary impact of the anti-bribery guidelines which came into force on 1 May 2004 on the volume of business supported by the Export Credits Guarantee Department; and what the results of those forecasts were.

Douglas Alexander: No forecasts were made into the possible impact of ECGD's anti-bribery and corruption procedures on its future business volumes. These procedures were designed to further the Government's efforts to combat bribery and corruption without placing any undue burden on customers seeking ECGD's support. The current discussions with customers and their trade organisations are aimed at resolving issues surrounding the details and practical application of aspects of the existing anti-bribery and corruption procedures announced on 4 March 2004. The revised procedures emerging from this process will require customers applying for ECGD cover to provide information from sources, which should be readily available to them. They should thus have no material adverse impact on ECGD's future business volumes.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 5 July 2004, Official Report, column 512W, to the hon. Member for Newcastle-upon-Tyne Central, on the Export Credits Guarantee Department, how much was paid under the Export Credits Guarantee Department to (a) Indonesia and (b) Zimbabwe; when the money was paid in each case; to which company; and for what project.

Douglas Alexander: A table, which will be placed in the Library, lists the amounts of defence claims authorised for payment and the financial year in which they were authorised for both Indonesia and Zimbabwe. It is not possible to provide a further breakdown of this information on a company or project basis as to do so could prejudice negotiations ECGD is having or will have about recovering debt.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the revised anti-corruption procedures announced by the Export Credits Guarantee Department on 8 November on its capacity to combat bribery and corruption; and what the purpose of the revised procedure is.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 17 November 2004
	ECGD has undertaken a detailed confidential comparison of its revised anti-bribery and corruption procedures with G7 counterparts. These confirm that the procedures announced by ECGD on 8 November are among the most rigorous and effective in use by any of the world's leading Export Credit Agencies.
	The revised procedures are designed to:
	Deter illegal payments, corrupt practices and money laundering by applicants for ECGD's support;
	Ensure, as far as is practicable, that all transactions that ECGD supports are in compliance with all applicable laws, regulations and international agreements to which .the UK is a party; and
	In the event that wrongdoing arises, protect the UK taxpayer's financial interests.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many applications for cover from MW Kellogg the Export Credits Guarantee Department has considered since October 2003.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if she will list the guarantees issued to subsidiaries of Halliburton by the Export Credits Guarantee Department since 1 January 2003; and on what dates they were issued;
	(2)  how many applications for cover from Kellogg, Brown and Root the Export Credits Guarantee Department has considered since October 2003.

Douglas Alexander: holding answers 15 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Export Credits Guarantee Department

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which companies have made representations to her Department regarding the anti-corruption procedures brought into force by the Export Credits Guarantee Department on 1 May; and if she will place these representations in the Library.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 8 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Export Support

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2004, Official Report, column 1724W, on Export Support, on what date she raised the PSA indicator to 40 per cent.; and whether this announcement appears in the 2004 Spending Review.

Douglas Alexander: The current formulation for the PSA indicator related to new to export companies is
	At least 30% of new-to-export firms assisted by UK Trade  Investment improve their business performance within 2 years.
	The SR2004 settlement sets a suite of new performance indicators for the period 200506 to 200708. The figure of 30 per cent. will therefore increase to 40 per cent. with effect from 1 April 2005.

Export Support

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 16 September 2004, Official Report, column 1724W, on Export Support, what level of trade development resources is focused on new-to-export firms.

Douglas Alexander: The level of identifiable trade development resource currently focused on new to export firms is in the order of 30 per cent. New to export firms also benefit from resources such as the UK Trade and Investment portal website, other forms of information giving services (such as the export market research scheme) and other schemes where there is currently no management information available to identify usage by new exporters rather than all exporters.

Fast Patrol Vessel Defender

James Arbuthnot: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  if her Department will investigate the circumstances surrounding the acquisition of the Fast Patrol Vessel Defender, which was donated by the Sultan of Oman to Lowestoft to support regional redevelopment;
	(2)  what efforts her Department has made to ascertain the (a) whereabouts and (b) condition of the Fast Patrol Vessel Defender from the time of its voyage from Oman;
	(3)  how much (a) EU and (b) Government funding has been made available for the Fast Patrol Vessel Defender since its donation to Lowestoft by the Sultan of Oman; and to whom these funds were made payable;
	(4)  what report her Department has received on the whereabouts of the Fast Patrol Vessel Defender.

Douglas Alexander: holding answer 28 October 2004
	EU funding of 58,728 was made available for a project to restore the vessel, from the European Regional Development Fund. The ERDF grant was paid to the Maritime Defence Museum (Lowestoft) Ltd. and to its successor company, Lowestoft Maritime Defence Museum Ltd. No Government funding has been made available.
	The Government office for the East of England, in conjunction with my Department, is currently investigating the acquisition, whereabouts and condition of the vessel. Government office officials received progress reports during the project to restore the vessel and inspected it at the Isle of Wight in October 2001, and after arrival in Lowestoft in August 2002.

Fluorochemicals

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the rise in UK gas prices on UK manufacturers of fluorochemicals.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information Act

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the likely costs to her Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gambling

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what protocols are in place governing the attendance of her departmental officials at trade conventions promoting the interests of the foreign gaming industry.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gambling

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry on what dates (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the Department have held meetings with representatives of the UK gambling industry to discuss proposed changes to legislation on gambling.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gambling

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will list the overseas visits made by (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the Department in relation to proposed changes to legislation on gambling; what the itinerary was for each visit; how long each visit lasted; which hotels were used; what the cost was in each case; and how each visit was funded.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 1 November 2004
	It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gas/Electricity Supplies

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will make a statement on the adequacy of gas supplies to meet peak gas demand during a (a) one in 20 winter day and (b) period of sustained cold weather in winter 200405.

Mike O'Brien: In its Winter Outlook report, published recently, National Grid Transco (NGT) forecast that expected beach gas supplies, combined with supplies from the interconnector, LNG and storage, would be sufficient to meet demand in an average winter. If worse than average weather is experienced, or there are supply difficulties, then an effective demand side response would be needed from the market to balance any supply shortfall.
	In the unlikely event of a prolonged, severe winter (a one in 50 winter), NGT forecast that they would need an increased demand reduction to balance any supply shortfall.

Gender Pay Gap

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the average gap between men and women's pay is in (a) England and (b) the Buckingham constituency.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) In April 2004, women's mean hourly pay was 81.0 per cent. of men's hourly pay and median hourly pay for women was 85.2 per cent. of men's median hourly pay in England.
	(b) In April 2004, women's mean hourly pay was 88.9 per cent. of men's mean hourly pay in the Buckingham constituency. Reliable median figures for the Buckingham constituency are not available.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether all Government buildings in her Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if she will make a statement.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Hunterston A (Contaminated Soil)

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will estimate the volume of radioactively contaminated soil within the perimeter fence at the Hunterston A Nuclear Power Plant; what the identity of the contamination is and what its average activity is per cubic meter; what the source of the contamination was; when (a) the operator and (b) her Department first learned about the contamination; whether details about and volumes of the contaminated soil are to be included in the 2004 edition of the National Radioactive Waste Inventory; what plans have been made for the removal of the contaminated material; and what the estimated cost is for dealing with the contamination.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

IAEA Conference

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether the Government was represented at the conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Beijing on 18 to 22 October; and if she will place in the Library the text of Government statements and submissions to the conference;
	(2)  whether the Government was represented at the conference of the International Atomic Energy Agency in Moscow in June; and if she will place in the Library the text of Government statements and submissions to the conference.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Industry

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what Government resources for support to industry, with particular reference to (a) staff and (b) direct financial investment, are invested in (i) the manufacturing sector, (ii) the services sector and (iii) agriculture.

Jacqui Smith: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Inward Investment

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what research her Department has commissioned on projected foreign investment in the UK for 200506; and if she will make a statement.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

IT Skills

Michael Fabricant: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she proposes to take to ensure that the number of students who graduate from information technology courses reaches the levels that are needed by the IT industry as stated by the E-Skills UK and Gartner Consulting research published on 1s November.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Jaguar

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what action is being taken to ensure that Ford's transfer pricing policies do not distort the financial position of Jaguar, with particular reference to the Browns Lane plant.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 9 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Patricia Hewitt: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		
			 Act Sections not yet in force 
		
		
			 Unsolicited Goods and Services (Amendment) Act1975 2(1) 
			   
			 Patents Act 1977 53(1) 
			  60(4) 
			  86 
			  87 
			   
			 Estate Agents Act 1979 16 
			  17 
			  22 
			   
			 British Steel Act 1988 Schedule 2, Part II 
			   
			 Companies Act 1989 46 
			  47(2)-(6) 
			  48(3) 
			  65(2) 
			  92107 
			  128 
			  133 
			  138 
			  140(7), (8) 
			  142 
			  Schedule 13 
			  Schedule 15 
			  Schedule 16 
			  Schedule 19, para 13 
			   
			 British Technology Group Act 1991 Schedule 2, Pt I 
			   
			 Competition and Service (Utilities) Act 1992 17 
			  23 
			  36 
			   
			 Coal Industry Act 1994 22(2) 
			  Schedules, para 7, 29, 30, 45 
			  Schedule 11, Pt IV 
			   
			 Arbitration Act 1996 85 
			  86 
			  87 
			   
			 Employment Rights Act 1996 Schedule 2, Pt II, para 16(1), 17(1), 18(1) 
			   
			 Competition Act 1998 1(a) 
			  Schedule 5, para 7 
			  Schedule 6, para 7 
			  Schedule 13, para 11 
			  (except for the purpose of prescribing modifications to the Restrictive Trade Practices Act 1976) 
			   
			 Employment Rights (Dispute Resolution) Act 1998 4 
			   
			 National Minimum Wage Act 1998 2(1) (except so far as confers power to make subordinate legislation) 
			  2(2)-(5), (7), (8) 
			  3(1) 
			  3(2) (except so far as confers power to make subordinate legislation) 
			  3(3), (4) 
			  4(1) (except so far as confers power to make subordinate legislation), 
			  (2) 
			  9 
			  41 
			  42 
			  49(9), (10) 
			  51 
			  Schedule 2, para 26 
			   
			 Petroleum Act 1998 Schedule 4 para 8, 11, 13, 34, 40 
			  Para 11 
			  Para 13 
			 Employment Relations Act 1999 17 
			  Schedule 7, para 4(6) 
			  Schedule 9, Pt 1 
			  Schedule 8 
			  Schedule 9, Pt 1,3 
			  (repeal of Trade Union and Labour Relations(Consolidation) Act 1992, 
			  Schedule A1, para 163), 
			  10 (repeals of or in Employment Rights Act 1996, Section 236, Schedule 1) 
			   
			   
			 Electronic Communications Act 2000 16 
			   
			 Utilities Act 2000 20(7) 
			  75 
			   
			 Employment Act 2002 28(2) 
			  30(1), (2), (4) 
			  44 
			  47(3) 
			  
			 Enterprise Act 2002 70 
			  Schedule 5, para 2(c) 
			  Schedule 6 
			  Schedule 9, para 8(a) 
			  Schedule 17, para 14, 59 
			  Schedule 19, para 8 
			   
			 Fireworks Act 2003 10 
			  14 
			  Schedule 
			   
			 Communications Act 2003 231(1), (2)(c) 
			  265 
			  266 
			  267 
			  268 
			  269 
			  270 
			  272 
			  273 
			  274 
			  299(1), (3), (4) 
			  300 
			  401 
			  409 
			  Schedule 6 
			  Schedule 12, para 5, 6 
			  Schedule 17, para 133(2) 
			   
			 Employment Relations Act 2004 128 
			  3336 
			  3941 
			  4455 
			  Schedule 1, para 17, 1315, 19, 22, 23, 2630, 3241, 42(3) 
			   
			 Energy Act 2004 11(1) (2) 
			  12 
			  51 (1) 
			  52 
			  53(1)-(4) 
			  5460 
			  6268 
			  69(1) 
			  70,71 
			  8993 
			  95(1 )-(8) (10) 
			  96100 
			  102(2), (3), (5) 
			  103(1), (3) 
			  105114 
			  139 
			  140(1) 
			  145(2), (4) 
			  146(6) 
			  147(5) 
			  149(2), (4) (10) 
			  150(6) 
			  151 
			  153 
			  177 
			  179 
			  180 
			  182 
			  Schedule 2 
			  Schedules 1014 
			  Schedule 16 
			  Schedule 23, Pt 2, para 1, 3 
			   
			 Companies (Audit, Investigations and Community Enterprise) Act 2004 167 
			  Schedules 18 
			   
			 Patents Act 2004 115 
			  16(3) 
			  Schedule 1 
			  Schedule 2, para 122, 25, 26(2), 27, 28

Lending

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to introduce legislation to prevent irresponsible lending by loan sharks; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: The Government will introduce the Consumer Credit Bill, when parliamentary time permits, to create a fair, clear competitive market which provides comprehensive protection for consumers.
	It will do this, in part, by enhancing consumer rights and redress, replacing the current extortionate credit test with a more appropriate one of fairness. In addition, we will improve regulation of consumer credit businesses by strengthening the current licensing regime to keep rogue traders out of the market.

Manufacturing Industry

Adrian Bailey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the representation from manufacturing industry is on (a) the Health and Safety Commission and (b) the Better Regulation Task Force.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Marine Energy Extraction

Nick Harvey: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will place a copy of the Marine Currents Energy Extraction: Resource Assessment, Final Report, EU-Joule contract JOU2-CT9300355 (199495) in the Library.

Mike O'Brien: The report originally identified in response to an earlier question was never published. However, we have arranged for the hon. Member to receive a more recent report 1 which sets out the conclusions and results of the earlier study.
	A copy will also been placed in the Libraries of the House.
	1 Non Nuclear Energy Joule II Wave Energy Project Results.
	The Exploitation of Tidal and Marine Currents ISBN 9282756580

Maternity Leave (Yorkshire)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many women received paid maternity leave in (a) Yorkshire and the Humber and (b) the City of York in (i) 1997 and (ii) the latest year for which figures are available; and how much on average was paid in each year.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Mersey Docks and Harbour Company

Peter Kilfoyle: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  whether the Government retains a golden share in the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company;
	(2)  what prerogatives of the Mersey Docks and Harbour Board over the Mersey littoral were transferred to the Mersey Docks and Harbour Company upon privatisation.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Midland Hotel, Morecambe

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what progress has been made with the bid for funding for the Midland Hotel, Morecambe.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 8 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Migrant Workers

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the budget is for the Working Lives Institute's research project on migrant workers commissioned by the East of England Development Agency; what demand there has been for such research; and for what purpose the research results will be used.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Minimum Wage

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many people in Manchester, Withington have benefited from the National Minimum Wage since its introduction.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Minimum Wage

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many workers in Newcastle-under-Lyme she estimates to have benefited from the minimum wage.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mobile Phone Companies

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry which mobile phone companies have signed up to the 10 commitments; and what discussions she has held with those which have not.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Motor Mechanics

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what her assessment is of the procedures for (a) recruitment, (b) development and (c) assessment of mechanics in the UK motor servicing industry; and what measures are being taken to improve them.

Jacqui Smith: It is the responsibility of the UK retail motor industry sector's professional bodies, that is, the Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF) and Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI), amongst others, to lead in the development, training and assessment of mechanics and other technicians.
	However, the Government are playing their part too. The DFES has funded a new sector skills council, Automotive Skills Limited (ASL), who are undertaking a strategic assessment of the strengths and weaknesses of both management and technician skills within the retail motor industry, and working with the RMIF and IMI and the other professional bodies within the sector in developing a strategy to raise standards in the industry and spread best practice.

Motorsport Industry

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had to ensure that the high technological manufacturing associated with the motorsport industry remains in the UK.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Nanotechnology

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to encourage nanotechnology research and development in the UK; and how such steps relate to EU support for nanotechnology research and development within the EU.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Nuclear Fusion Reactor (France)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has held with her counterparts in the (a) French, (b) Russian and (c) Chinese Governments about the proposal to site a nuclear fusion reactor in the South of France; and what assessment she has made of the opportunities that such a proposal would afford to the British nuclear industry.

Mike O'Brien: The European Commission is negotiating with the international partners on behalf the member states. Official level discussions have taken place with the international fusion community on what the ITER (International Tokamak Experimental Reactor) programme might entail.
	UKAEA, which manages the UK fusion programme, facilitates links between UK industry and ITER. This includes raising awareness of potential opportunities and informing the ITER design engineers of UK companies whose goods and services may be useful.

Offshore Licensing Regime (Gas)

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to review the offshore licensing regime for gas producers operating on the UK continental shelf with a view to bringing them within the regulatory remit of Ofgem.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Offshoring

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 649W, to the hon. Member for Glasgow, Anniesland (John Robertson), on offshoring, if she will place a copy of the evidence referred to in the Library.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Older Workers

David Willetts: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimates she has made of the proportion of British firms that have no employees aged (a) over 60 years and (b) state pension age.

Jacqui Smith: The information is as follows:
	(a) The Department of Work and Pensions (DWP) undertook an evaluation of the Code of Practice on Age Diversity in Employment. As part of the study, they asked employers for the age profile of their workforce, with emphasis on those aged 50 or over. The results of the survey, which was carried out three waves during the years 1999 to 2000, showed that about 43 per cent. of employers in Great Britain had no employees of 60 years and over.
	(b) Although DWP did not report on the numbers of employers who had no employees aged over the state pension age, ONS figures show in September 2004 988,000 people in employment were over the state pension age. This represents a 24.7 per cent. rise on the April 1997 figure.

Outsourcing

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate her Department has made of the financial benefits to the UK of outsourcing (a) manufacturing and (b) service sector jobs overseas.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Parental Leave

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of the value in terms of (a) wages and (b) saved childcare costs of statutory (i) paid maternity leave and (ii) paid paternity leave to workers in (A) the UK and (B) each region in the last year for which figures are available.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Parliamentary Questions

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when she expects to answer the Questions (a) 195698 and (b) 195704 tabled by the hon. Member for Newcastle-under-Lyme for named day answer on 4 November.

Nigel Griffiths: holding answer 16 November 2004
	I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 17 November 2004, Official Report, columns 161516W, and UIN195704 which has been answered today.

Performance Targets

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measurable progress her Department has made towards meeting its Public Service Agreement target (a) to raise the rate of UK productivity growth over the economic cycle, (b) to improve UK competitiveness and (c) to narrow the productivity gap with the US, France and Germany.

Patricia Hewitt: HM Treasury estimates set out in Budget 2004 show that the trend rate of underlying productivity growth has increased from 2.22 per cent. per annum between 1986 Q2 and 1997H1 to 2.65 per cent. per annum between 1997H1 and 2001 Q3. Trend productivity growth is projected to be 2.35 per cent. per annum between 2001 Q4 and 2006 Q4.
	Data from the Office of National Statistics (ONS) published in autumn 2004 shows that, on the output per hour worked measure, the UK has narrowed the gap with Germany since 2000 but a sizeable productivity gap with the US, France and Germany remains. On the output per worker measure, the UK's productivity gap with the US, France and Germany is broadly unchanged, though the UK is as productive as Germany on this measure. Comparisons are relative to a 2000 base year when all four countries were at a similar point in their economic cycles.
	However, it takes time to raise competitiveness and increase productivity. Consequently, in assessing progress towards raising productivity, it is reasonable to look for changes in the drivers of productivity. The Government have identified five drivers of productivityinvestment, innovation, skills, enterprise and competition and has monitored performance on a range of productivity and competitiveness indicators underlying these drivers since 1999. Some progress has been made on all five of these high-level drivers. In particular, there have been improvements in the competition regime, evidence of rising skills levels across the workforce and improvements in the UK's world-class science base. The Government are continuing to invest in these areas through the Skills Strategy, the Innovation Report and DTI's Five Year Programme.

Photofinishing

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what estimate she has made of how many people are employed (a) permanently and (b) seasonally in the mail order photofinishing industry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Plutonium Transport Ships

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the transport ships, Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail were operating on Government service in the recent movement of plutonium from the US to France.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Plutonium Transport Ships

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the cost was in (a) investigations and (b) administration to the UK Government in preparation for the transport of plutonium from the United States to France aboard the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Plutonium Transport Ships

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what role the UK Government played in (a) reviewing and (b) approving the security arrangements provided by the United States and France for the transport of plutonium from the United States to France aboard the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Plutonium Transport Ships

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what liability was agreed by the Office of Civil Nuclear Security in respect of the shipment of plutonium from the United States to France aboard the Pacific Teal and Pacific Pintail.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Polluter Pays Policy

Geraldine Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether the polluter pays policy has been applied to the Luneside East development in Lancashire.

Jacqui Smith: holding answer 8 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Post Office

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what timetable has been established to draw down the balance of 24.6 million in respect of improvement investment grants to Post Office Limited.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Post Office

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  how many post offices have received payments under the Urban Investment Programme; and what the average payment has been to each post office;
	(2)  what the average compensation payment has been to sub-postmasters leaving the business in (a) each constituency and (b) each region under the Urban Reinvention Programme;
	(3)  what proportion of the urban population lived within one mile of a post office or sub-post office in (a) the United Kingdom, (b) each constituency and (c) each region at the most recent date for which information is available;
	(4)  how many post offices in (a) each constituency and (b) each region were recommended for closure under the Urban Reinvention Programme; how many were (i) opposed by and (ii) approved by Postwatch; how many (A) closed and (B) remained open after public consultation; and how many were saved from closure on appeal by Postwatch.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Implementation of the urban post office network programme is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. I have therefore asked the Chief Executive to respond direct to the hon. Member.

Post Office

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much funding under the Urban Investment Programme for post offices remains to be spent; and what timetable has been established to draw down the balance in respect of improvement investment grants to Post Office Ltd.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Operation of the urban reinvention programme, including consideration of applications from subpostmasters for investment grant funding, is a matter for Post Office Ltd. The Department has not imposed a timetable for the use of this funding. It was always anticipated that there would be some time lag between closure decisions being announced and take up of investment grant funding. Post Office Ltd is now beginning to see take up of this increase and expects further increases as the restructuring of the network continues and subpostmasters become more confident about their future prospects. Post Office Ltd has devoted additional resources to establish a separate team dedicated to promoting and supervising the implementation of investment required to upgrade remaining offices and fully expects to utilise the 30 million available. To date, the DTI has paid 5,448,897 to Post Office Ltd under the urban reinvention programme for investment grant funding.

Post Office

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Post Office on its definition of rurality.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Ministers and officials of the Department meet frequently with Post Office Ltd to discuss a wide range of post office issues. The classification of a post office branch as urban or rural is an operational matter for Post Office Ltd. The broad definition of 'rural' used by the Post Office applies to communities of up to 10,000 people, the Countryside Agency definition. The company has carried out detailed planning to establish which of its branches serve either rural or urban areas and has specially developed a sophisticated geographical mapping computer model, which measures population in terms of contiguous or very close agglomeration. Thus where a number of villages or small communities adjoin each other or adjoin a larger town, and the aggregate population of the area exceeds 10,000, the model reflects that fact and classifies it as urban. Post Office Ltd has adopted a consistent approach nationally to classifying the entire post office network.

Post Office

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much of the subsidy to the rural post office network has been allocated to (a) Post Office Ltd. infrastructure, (b) fixed payments to sub-postmasters and (c) the development of new methods of delivering post office services in rural areas since the subsidy was introduced.

Gerry Sutcliffe: Of the 450 million a year made available for the financial years 200304, 200405 and 200506, 198 million has been allocated to fund fixed payments to sub-postmasters, 227 million has been allocated to fund the costs incurred by Post Office Ltd. in providing the support services that underpin sub-post offices, and 25 million has been allocated to a flexible fund to meet the cost of pilot activity to test new and innovative ways of delivering services in a more sustainable way.
	Details of the allocations for the 300 million extended funding announced on 16 September (covering 200607 and 200708) have not yet been decided.

Post Office

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what new methods of delivering Post Office services have been funded from the subsidy paid to support the rural post office network.

Gerry Sutcliffe: A wide range of pilot activities has been funded by Post Office Ltd. from the flexible fund element of the subsidy paid to support the rural post office network.
	The business has focused its attention on three broad issues in its pilot work to date. These are network shape (getting the right type of outlet in the right location), infrastructure (adapting IT, communication and other systems to make them flexible-enough to cater for new ways of delivering services), and developing new revenue streams for rural sub-postmasters.
	The work on network shape includes trials of hub and spoke solutions involving a sub-postmaster visiting a number of locations at set times each week, partnerships to make part-time post office services available from pubs, tourist information centres and libraries, and a community bus initiative to take people to a post office in a nearby village.
	The work on infrastructure includes trials of new ways to connect the Horizon IT equipment used by sub-postmasters to the network, including the connection of mobile post offices, testing of weigh and vend equipment for postal services, and testing mobile solutions for banking services and cash points.
	The work on increasing revenue for rural sub-postmasters has includes the-pro vision of A-Frames for advertising the presence of the branch, special marketing packs to promote new banking, financial and travel services, and partnerships with the police to make some police services accessible through rural post offices establishing an additional income stream for sub-postmasters.

Postal Services (Blind People)

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the Post Office about the continuance of the free postal service for people who are blind; and if she will make a statement.

Gerry Sutcliffe: holding answer 2 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Premium Rate Dialler Programmes

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures she intends to take to protect the public from the unwanted installation of premium rate dialler programmes on computers connected to the internet; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: holding answer 15 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Premium Rate Phone Industry

Linda Perham: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans she has to (a) review and (b) amend the regulation of the premium rate telephone industry.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Product Safety

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 644W, on product safety, what the issues are which have given rise to the delay in the transposition of the General Product Safety Directive 2001/95/EC.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Publishing

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what plans the Government have to make available funds for pilot projects to assess the best method by which publishers and the voluntary sector can share resources and expertise to make more titles available in accessible formats more promptly for people with reading disabilities.

Jacqui Smith: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

PV Technology

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the future of photovoltaic (PV) technology within the UK energy market; and what plans she has to promote the use of PV technology.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Radioactive Waste

Llew Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what information she has received from the Committee on Radioactive Waste Management in respect of its work in compiling a national inventory of radioactive waste.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regulations

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry 
	(1)  what her latest estimate is of the costs to business in a year of compliance with all the regulations imposed by her Department;
	(2)  what the aggregate annual cost to business is of regulations imposed by her Department, using the figures in the relevant regulatory impact assessments, since 1997;
	(3)  which regulations have to be complied with to set up a small company running a restaurant, where the buildings need to be adapted;
	(4)  which regulations need to be satisfied by a small business setting up new premises to trade as a financial adviser.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the reference numbers are for the regulatory impact assessments for the major pieces of legislation affecting business introduced by her Department since 1997.

Nigel Griffiths: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Renewable Energy

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how much money the UK Government has spent on (a) solar and (b) wind powered forms of renewable energy since 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Renewables Obligation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if, in her review of the Renewables Obligation, she will take account of the impact on Renewable Obligation Certificate trading of companies which have defaulted on their payments because of (a) insolvency and (b) other factors; and what additional (i) incentives and (ii) sanctions are being considered to make the scheme more effective.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Renewables Obligation

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if she will publish the submissions made (a) to her in advance of her review of the Renewables Obligation and (b) to the review.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Research

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how the (a) impact and (b) success of basic research in the UK is being assessed; and how it will be assessed in the future.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Research

Hilton Dawson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what measures are being taken (a) to prevent the best young scientists from leaving (i) research and (ii) the UK and (b) to attract young scientific talent from abroad.

Patricia Hewitt: holding answer 3 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Royal Mail

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact on the greetings card industry of the Royal Mail's proposals to move to size-based pricing.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Royal Mail

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what assessment she has made of the impact of the Royal Mail's proposals for size-based pricing on the mail order photofinishing industry.

Gerry Sutcliffe: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Second-hand Clothing Exports (Africa)

Mark Simmonds: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions have taken place with UK charities regarding the future of second-hand clothing exports to Africa; and what assessment has been made of the impact of this trade on clothing manufacture in Africa.

Douglas Alexander: Neither UK Trade and Investment nor DTI Clothing and Textiles team are aware of any discussions having taken place with UK charities regarding the future of second-hand clothing exports to Africa, neither are we aware of any assessment having been made of this impact on clothing manufacture.

Select Committee Recommendations

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry how many recommendations by parliamentary Select Committees have been adopted by her Department since June 2001.

Patricia Hewitt: Select Committee reports are given very careful consideration by the Department's Ministers. Since June 2001, several committees of both Houses have made recommendations on matters for which the Department of Trade and Industry is responsible. Select Committee reports and their responses are a matter of public record.

Sellafield Mox Plant

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what the output is to date of the Sellafield Mox Plant in terms of (a) quantity of mox fuel produced, (b) the number of mox pellets produced, (c) the number of fuel rods produced and (d) the number of fuel assemblies produced; what percentage of the total capacity of the plant this output represents; what the planned output is for each of the next five years; and if she will make a statement on the future operating arrangements of the plant.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her reply of 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1152W, on the Shareholder Executive, if she will list the organisations with which the Shareholder Executive consults on a regular basis.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what bonus scheme applies to the directors of the Shareholder Executive.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry when the contract of the chief executive of the Shareholder Executive expires; and what contractual agreement applies to an early departure.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry pursuant to her reply of 26 October 2004, Official Report, column 1150W, on the Shareholder Executive, if she will make a statement on the nature of the clearly defined policy framework by which she will assess the Shareholder Executive.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry if the Shareholder Executive will publish an annual report of its performance.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Shareholder Executive

Gregory Barker: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she has taken to provide the Shareholder Executive with appropriate policies regarding (a) working practices and (b) conflict of interest management; and what plans she has to develop the Shareholder Executive's corporate governance structure incorporating (i) public sector monitoring, (ii) mission oversight and (iii) procedural auditing.

Patricia Hewitt: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Tariffs (USA)

John Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what discussions she has had with the US Administration in connection with reductions in tariffs and other trade barriers.

Douglas Alexander: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Telecommunications

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department has held recent discussions with the Office of the Deputy Prime Minister on the impact of non-domestic rates on the Government's policy for a competitive market in telecommunications.

Mike O'Brien: The independent rates review on the impact of non-domestic rating on the telecommunications sector, which is being held by the Broadband Stakeholders Group (BSG), includes representatives from DTI and the Valuation Office Agency (VGA), the latter representing the interests of the agency and ODPM.

Telecommunications

Richard Allan: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry whether her Department has carried out analysis of the impact of the non-domestic property rating system on the development of a competitive telecommunications market.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Television

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking to ensure there is a competitive market in television provision to residential customers (a) between infrastructure providers and (b) within each infrastructure provision.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Utilities

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she will take to protect those on lower incomes from the effects of recent increases in gas and electricity prices; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: I am working with the industry, Ofgem, Energywatch and the caring and voluntary organisations to ensure that customers on lower income are aware, and take advantage, of the significant reductions that can be made to energy bills by transferring supplier, using the cheapest and simplest payment methods, installing energy efficiency measures and accessing social programmes, such as Warm Front.

Wind Farms

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry what steps she is taking in respect of charges for connecting major wind farm projects to the national grid; and if she will make a statement.

Mike O'Brien: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

HEALTH

Cold Weather Mortality

Stephen Hepburn: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what action is being taken to reduce the number of winter deaths of pensioners due to cold weather.

Stephen Ladyman: There are four main strands to the efforts nationally to reduce avoidable winter deaths:
	Immunisation of older people against influenza and pneumococcal disease.
	Increasing awareness among older people of the risks of cold weather, and the benefits and other help available to keep homes warm.
	The national fuel poverty strategy.
	Improving our ability to link the forecasting of cold weather with measures designed to prevent people from becoming ill, as well as to improve the ability of the health service to plan for surges in demand, especially for hospital admission.
	Winter fuel payments are significant, well-timed payments that are part of the Government's strategy on eradicating fuel poverty. They provide help for older households towards their winter fuel bills. Households with someone aged 60 or over receive 200 and those with someone aged 80 or over receive 300. They provide help for older people to heat their homes adequately during the coldest months without being fearful of the ability to meet the extra cost. The majority of payments are made by Christmas.
	In addition to the winter fuel payment, customers receiving pension credit, who are not in a care home, are eligible to receive cold weather payments. Cold weather payments are made when the average temperature at a particular weather station is recorded as, or is forecast to be, zero degrees Celsius or below over seven consecutive days. Every residential postcode in the country is linked to one of the 73 weather stations used in the scheme. When a period of cold weather occurs, or is forecast, then payments to qualifying customers in receipt of pension credit are made automatically. The amount paid is 8.50 for each period of cold weather.
	A target for influenza vaccination in those aged 65 and over has been set since the change in policy in 200001.
	In 200001, the target was 60 per cent., in 200102 65 per cent, and in 200203; and 200304, 70 per cent. Uptake achieved has been 65 per cent., 68 per cent., 69 per cent, and 71 percent. respectively.
	The number of people aged 65 and over receiving their flu immunisation this year was 5,781,440over 295,000 more people than last year. This year's result is an excellent achievement and exceeds our target of 70 per cent. set at the start of the campaign.
	The joint committee on vaccination and immunisation (JCVI) has recommended extending pneumococcal immunisation to all aged 65 years and over.
	The new policy is to offer immunisation with pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine to all people aged 65 years and over. However, we are introducing the policy in stages. To start with, people aged 80 and over, who are most at risk from pneumococcal disease, will be offered the vaccine in 200304. They will be followed by all those aged 75 and over in 200405. By 200506, all those aged 65 and over should routinely be offered pneumococcal vaccine.
	People under these ages who are at higher risk from pneumococcal disease are already recommended to receive the vaccine. This includes people who have a heart condition, chronic lung disease, diabetes mellitus, a weakened immune system due to disease or treatment, a damaged spleen or no spleen.
	We will be collecting data on the number of people receiving their pneumococcal vaccination, but this will not be available until after April 2004.
	A Keep Warm, Keep Well campaign operates in England each winter. This provides free booklets for the public and special literature for health professionals; a telephone helpline, and advice on how those most in need may apply for grants, such as the Warm Front granta scheme providing grant for comprehensive packages of insulation and heating improvements for those on low incomes most vulnerable to cold-related ill health; advice on benefit payments, as well as the health benefits of keeping warm.
	The relationship between indoor temperatures and ill health is complex, with other factors such as outside exposure and behavioural factors involved. However, the likelihood of ill health is increased by cold damp homes. Illnesses such as influenza, heart disease and strokes are all exacerbated by the cold and older people are especially vulnerable.
	The Department is working together with other Government Departments to reduce the number of households in fuel poverty. Good progress has already been made, with the number of fuel-poor households falling from approximately 5.5 million in 1996 to about 3 million in 2001, with predictions of a further reduction of 0.5 million for 2002.
	Health professionals within the national health service have been made fully aware of fuel poverty as a potential health determinant and have been widely encouraged to identify and advise patients for whom cold, damp home conditions might be a health risk.
	At the local level, fuel poverty is on the agenda of many health professionals in delivering fuel poverty initiatives and fuel poverty has been identified as a key priority within the health inequalities programme for action.
	Her Majesty's Treasury funding was made available up to April 2003 to allow some exploratory work, led by the Meteorological Office, to develop models to forecast workload for primary and secondary care, built in part on weather forecasting. The evaluation of this exploratory work was inconclusive. Preliminary discussions are currently under way between the NHS, the Department and the Meteorological Office to determine next steps and in particular whether it is possible to:
	Refine the approaches taken to preventative interventions, targeted in time and place so as to gain maximum benefit for patients before they fall ill.
	Manage NHS workload more proactively than at present, so that services, including hospitals, are better placed to manage surges in demand, particularly for hospital admission.

Mobile Telephones

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Mobile Telephone Health Research Programme will report; whether there are interim findings; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: 29 projects have received support either directly under the mobile telecommunication and health research (MTHR) programme or its adjunct funding arrangements. Six of these have been completed and were announced at the MTHR research seminar in London on 10 November. The programme encourages publication in open peer-reviewed scientific journals. Published papers and brief summaries of the individual projects are routinely posted on the MTHR we site at www.mthr.org.uk.

Residential Drug Treatment

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the average waiting time is between someone requesting residential drug treatment and (a) funding becoming available and (b) a bed becoming available if the treatment is privately funded was in the latest period for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: Information on waiting times for residential drug treatment funded privately is not collected centrally.
	As far as residential drug treatment funded publicly, the average waiting time between assessment as being in need of residential rehabilitation and entering residential rehabilitation is three weeks 1 .
	1 At June 2004.

Residential Drug Treatment

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people accessing residential drug treatment do so (a) as part of a community order, (b) through the criminal justice system and (c) voluntarily.

Melanie Johnson: The total percentage of people accessing all drug treatment through criminal justice referral routesarrest referral, drug treatment and testing orders, youth offending teams, probation and counselling, assessment, referral and throughcarewas 17 per cent, in 200304 1 .
	The remaining 83 per cent. accessed treatment by non-criminal justice system roots, including: other drug services (national health service and non-statutory agencies); general practitioners; self-referral; accident and emergency; needle/syringe exchange; psychiatry; community care assessment and employment services.
	However, the figure of 83 per cent. may contain some people referred through criminal justice sources who have presented at a treatment service without indicating that they have come into treatment through a criminal justice referral.
	1 SourceNational drug treatment monitoring system data.

Residential Drug Treatment

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many residential drug treatment centres are specifically for young people; and if he will make a statement on what steps his Department is taking to tackle young people misusing drugs, with particular reference to those in contact with the criminal justice system.

Melanie Johnson: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Residential Drug Treatment

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of people in residential drug treatment are funded (a) privately, (b) by primary care trusts and (c) with a combination of private funds and primary care trust funds.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected centrally.

Abortions

Jim Dobbin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health for what reasons the 2003 abortion statistics do not specify the nature of the disabilities giving rise to abortion under ground E, risk that the child would be born handicapped.

Melanie Johnson: As stated in the Statistical Bulletin Summary Abortion Statistics, England and Wales: 2003, the format of tables changed to reflect concerns over issues of privacy and confidentiality. These issues are now being considered in more detail.

Administration

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) total budget and (b) administration budget was for each (i) NHS region in each year from 1997 to 2002 and (ii) strategic health authority in each year since they were established.

John Hutton: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Air Ambulances

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total operating budget is of each air ambulance service in England; and what proportion of these budgets is grant-aided by the national health service.

Rosie Winterton: This information is not held centrally as air ambulances are provided through charitable organisations.
	The Department informed ambulance services and their commissioners in January 2002 that the cost of clinical staff on air ambulances should from 1 April 2002 be met by the national health service on a continuing basis.

Alzheimer's

Dennis Skinner: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total amount of Government funding for research on Alzheimer's disease was in (a) 1997, (b) 2000 and (c) 2003.

Melanie Johnson: The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology. MRC expenditure on research into Alzheimer's disease and general dementia in the years in question was as follows.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 5.5 
			 200001 8.2 
			 200203 6.6 
			 200304 (35) 
		
	
	(35) Not yet available.
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service. National research programme expenditure on projects related to Alzheimer's disease and dementia was as follows.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 199798 0.4 
			 20002001 4.7 
			 200203 1.6 
			 200304 1.1

Anaemia

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition will report on iron deficiency anaemia.

Melanie Johnson: The report on iron and health by the Scientific Advisory Committee on Nutrition's Working Group on Iron is expected to be available for comment in summer 2005, with finalisation in spring 2006.

Anaemia

Bob Laxton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps his Department is taking to encourage the iron intake of children to prevent childhood anaemia; and what assessment it has made of the incidence of childhood anaemia in the UK over the last 20 years.

Melanie Johnson: It has not been possible to respond the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Cancer

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent assessment he has made of health inequalities between socio-economic groups in terms of cancer (a) treatments and (b) outcomes; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 9 November 2004
	We know there are differences in health outcomes for different socio-economic groups. However, we are aware that people diagnosed with cancer in deprived areas suffer from higher mortality rates than those in wealthier areas. We have recently announced a new public service agreement which includes a target from April 2005 to achieve a reduction in the inequalities gap of at least 6 per cent. in cancer mortality between the fifth of areas with the worst health and deprivation indicators and the population as a whole by 2010. We will work with organisations in deprived areas to see what interventions can help reduce inequalities in treatments and outcomes. We envisage this will probably be achieved through a range of measures including reducing smoking prevalence, tackling obesity, improving screening coverage, including bowel cancer screening, and ensuring that patients with symptoms that could be cancer present earlier to their general practitioner.

Care Homes

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many (a) residential care home and (b) nursing home places were available in West Derbyshire in each year since 1997, broken down into places available at (i) local authority-run homes, (ii) independent private homes and (iii) homes run by independent charities and other not-for-profit organisations.

Stephen Ladyman: Data are not available for the area requested. The table shows the number of care home places available for adults aged 18 and over by type of home in Derbyshire at 31 March for the years 1997 to 2001.
	I understand from the Chair of the Commission for Social Care Inspection (CSCI) that figures for later years were collected by the National Care Standards Commission, and now CSCI, but comparable details are not available.
	
		The number of care home places in Derbyshire(36)19972001 -- Rounded numbers
		
			  Residential Nursing(37) 
			 Derbyshire Local authority Private Voluntary Independent Total 
		
		
			 1997 1,780 3,790 700 4,600 10,860 
			 1998 1,490 3,780 690 4,500 10,400 
			 1999 1,380 4,460 770 4,590 11,200 
			 2000 1,470 4,230 630 4,310 10,630 
			 2001 1,470 4,190 590 4,260 10,510 
		
	
	(36) Nursing care relates to North Derbyshire and South Derbyshire Health Authorities; residential care relates to Derbyshire council with social services responsibilities (CSSR) and Derby CSSR.
	(37) Nursing home figures include places in general nursing homes, mental nursing homes and private hospitals and clinics.
	Source:
	RA and RH(N) form A.

Cervical Cancer

Patsy Calton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the benefits of liquid cytology testing for cervical cancer since the roll-out of the technique started;
	(2)  how many women in each strategic health authority have been enrolled on human papilloma virus testing pilots; how many have taken up liquid cytology testing for cervical cancer; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what progress has been made with the introduction of human papilloma virus testing and liquid cytology testing; and what plans he has for future roll-out.

Melanie Johnson: holding answers 17 November 2004
	Following the evaluation of a Government-funded pilot study of liquid based cytology (LBC), the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) concluded in October 2003 that this new technology should be rolled out across the national health service cervical screening programme. It will take five years to implement LBC across England, as all staff who read the tests or take the tests will have to be retrained. The Department is providing 7.2 million over the next two years to kick-start this process. We are starting by converting the 10 regional cytology training schools, which will then be able to train the rest of the programme. As at November 2004, nine out of the 10 training schools had been trained or had a specific date to begin their retraining. The tenth is awaiting a local decision on which system they will use. As LBC is rolled out, it will be subject to the same rigorous quality assurance procedures as the current programme, along with an annual statistical return.
	The NICE decision followed successful piloting of LBC for a 12 month period between 2001 and 2002 at three sites: North Bristol, Newcastle, and Norfolk and Norwich. The pilot sites have continued to use LBC, and latest figures for 200203 are shown in the table.
	
		
			 Pilot site Eligible population Number of women screened using LBC in 200203 Coverage for 200203 1 (percentage) 
		
		
			 North Bristol
			 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) 54,100 10,300 75.8 
			 
			 Newcastle
			 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 62,800 16,800 81.6 
			 
			 Norfolk and Norwich
			 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 31,500 7,100 78.7 
		
	
	(38) Coverage for 200203 is defined as the percentage of eligible women in a population who have a screening test recorded in the last five years. In England, women aged 20 to 64 are invited for cervical screening every three to five years.
	Source:
	Statistical bulletincervical screening programme, England: 200203.
	As part of the LBC pilot, we also piloted the use of HPV testing as triage for women with mild or borderline test results.
	According to the official evaluation of the pilot, a total of 3,681 women received HPV tests across the three pilot sites. The advisory committee on cervical screening is now considering how best to take forward HPV testing in England, following consideration of the draft final report of the evaluation of the pilot.

Cholesterol

Harold Best: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to reduce cholesterol levels in the adult population.

Melanie Johnson: High intakes of saturated fat can raise cholesterol levels. The Government provide practical guidance on how consumers can reduce the saturated fat in their diets through healthy eating advice. As part of a balanced diet, foods rich in saturated fat need to be replaced with unsaturated fats such as oil rich fish and foods containing oils such as sunflower, rapeseed and olive oils.
	The Government have also conducted a major consultation exercise on improving public health, covering a range of lifestyle issues, including diet and physical activity. Responses to the consultation have informed the development of a White Paper on improving health, due later this year. The Department of Health also funds a range of non-governmental organisations to increase awareness of the benefits of eating a healthy diet and active lifestyles.
	High cholesterol is a significant risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke and related diseases. The Department's National Service Framework (NSF) for CHD sets out modern standards and service models for the NHS for the prevention and treatment of CHD.

Cholesterol

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in developing a national cholesterol awareness campaign.

Melanie Johnson: Although there are no specific commitments to a national cholesterol awareness campaign in Choosing Health: making healthy choices easier, the Government have committed to bring together messages that raise awareness of health risks with information about action that people can take themselves to address those risks for example by changing their diet, taking more exercise or seeking advice through telephone help lines, local health improvement services. Early focus will be on a new cross-Government campaign to raise awareness of the health risks of obesity, and the steps people can take through diet and physical activity to prevent obesity.

Choose and Book Work

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when general practitioners will be paid for Choose and Book work.

John Hutton: Choose and Book will give patients greater involvement in the choices and decisions about their treatment. It should not increase the overall workload for GP practices, whilst allowing general practice to offer patients a more personal and convenient service.
	The Department is in an ongoing process of engagement with stakeholders regarding Choose and Book and general practice.

Chronic Illness

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of chronic illness in 200304.

Stephen Ladyman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Community Matrons

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the cost of introducing 3,000 community matrons in the NHS.

John Hutton: It is not possible at this time to estimate the total cost of introducing 3,000 community matrons at this stage. Detailed work is ongoing to determine the level of training required and appropriate grade for this new staff group.

Community Matrons

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what duties community matrons will undertake that are not already carried out by other health professionals.

John Hutton: Many patients with complex and high intensity needs do not benefit from a case management approach within current services. In their role as case managers, community matrons will be responsible for assessing physical, emotional and social needs and ensuring these needs are addressed through nursing and other local services. This will thereby improve the quality of life for this group of patients and prevent unnecessary admission to hospital.

Community Transport

Julie Kirkbride: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much money was given to community transport schemes by each primary care trust in the last year for which figures are available.

John Hutton: The information is not collected by the Department.

Complaints Procedure

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the recognised complaints procedure is for NHS patients treated by private treatment centres;
	(2)  whether his Department has received complaints about the standard of treatment provided to NHS patients by Netcare treatment centres.

John Hutton: The responsibility for handling complaints rests with the appropriate national health service primary care trust or acute trust that referred the patients to the independent treatment centre. Such complaints are handled through the NHS complaints process. The Department is not involved in the resolution of such complaints.
	Under contract terms, the Department is required to be notified by an independent treatment centre of any complaints in relation to treatment they provide to NHS patients. To date, the Department has been notified of seven such cases.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the press and public relations of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: I regret it is not possible to identify separately costs for work carried out by external consultants to deal with press and public relations. This information can be supplied only at disproportionate cost.

Contraception

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of the NHS budget was spent providing free contraception in the last year for which figures are available; and what proportion of NHS spending that represented.

Melanie Johnson: The cost of contraceptives and contraceptive devices dispensed in the community in England in 200304 is shown in the table. This does not include items issued in family planning clinics, for which data is not held centrally. It is not, therefore, possible to calculate the figure for spending on contraception, as a proportion of total national health service spend.
	
		Prescription cost analysis data: Number of prescription items(in million) and net ingredient cost (NIC) in  million,for contraceptives and contraceptive devicesBritish National Formulary (BNF) 7.3 and 21.4dispensed in the community in England, 200304
		
			  BNF chapter BNF section BNF section name Items (million) NIC ( million) 
		
		
			 200304 7 3 Contraceptives 8.66 60.69 
			 200304 21 4 Contraceptive  devices 0.06 0.63 
			 Total8.72 61.32

Dementia

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the cost to the NHS of care for dementia in 200304.

Rosie Winterton: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Dentistry

Andrew Murrison: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 1 September 2004, Official Report, columns 88687W, on dentistry, how many inquiries the returning to dentistry response line received; how many application forms were sent out; and how many have been returned indicating a willingness to return to work in NHS dentistry.

Rosie Winterton: Up to the start of October the dentistry response line had received 288 calls. Literature was sent to 222 people. 37 people have so far registered with the Keeping in Touch with dentistry (KITs) scheme.

Dentistry

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding his Department makes available to encourage dentists to join the NHS; and whether there are conditions attached to the funding to encourage dentists to remain within the NHS.

Rosie Winterton: It has not been possible to respond the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Dentistry

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps the Government are taking to improve access to NHS dentistry in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Rosie Winterton: Figures for the number of dentists are not available for Newcastle-under-Lyme Primary Care Trust (PCT) prior to 2002, when the PCT was established. The number of dentists within the Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area has increased from 392 in September 1997 to 449 in June 2004; this is an increase of 14.5 per cent. Of the 35 million additional funding announced in September 2003 to improve access, choice and quality for patients in areas that have problems, Newcastle-under-Lyme PCT has received 69,000. Of the further 15 million announced in November 2003 to develop easier access and improve quality further, Newcastle-under-Lyme PCT received 30,000. The PCT has also received an additional 10,000 modernisation funding for salaried primary care dental services, which is to be shared across North Staffordshire.
	Newcastle-under-Lyme PCT has a target of increasing dental registrations by 1,375 by 2005. Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA reports that the PCT is on the way to achieving this.
	In addition, Newcastle-under-Lyme PCT is involved in the Department of Health's latest round of international recruitment. Two practices are planning to interview prospective new dentists during early December.
	Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA reports that the PCT will be setting up, and directly managing, a salaried dental suite at Cross Heath. This will provide additional registrations primarily for the local population.
	Provisions in the Health and Social Care (Community Health and Standards) Act 2003 will underpin a modernised, high-quality primary dental service. A new contract for dentists will be introduced from October 2005, based on Personal Dental Services (PDS) pilots that encourage a more preventative, oral health focus.
	Under the new arrangements, PCTs will have a duty to secure the provision of primary dental services either through contracts with individual practices, or by providing services themselves. With these new responsibilities will go nearly 1.3 billion of financial resources currently held centrally.
	Nationally, PCT funding for dentistry will increase by 19.3 per cent. over two years (200506 over 200304). This means that by 200506 we will be providing over 250 million a year extra for dentistry.
	The national health service workforce will be increased by the equivalent of 1,000 dentists by October 2005, allowing up to an extra two million people to be treated.
	An NHS support team has been created to work with those PCTs having the most difficulty with access, and this is supported by 9 million of funding in the run-up to local commissioning. Forty-seven Dental Access Centres have been set up to help tackle access problems in areas with particular difficulties.
	Additional funding of 65.2 million was announced in September 2003 to support change and help improve access, quality and choice for patients.

Dentistry

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total spending on (a) general dental services and (b) secondary dental services was in each strategic health authority area in each of the last five years.

Rosie Winterton: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Dentistry

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what arrangements have been made for dental visits to care homes in Dorset;
	(2)  how many dentists in Dorset offer a visiting service to care homes in Dorset.

Rosie Winterton: Information about number of dentists offering a visiting service to care homes in Dorset is not centrally held.
	However, all general dental practitioners providing national health service services are obliged to visit their NHS patients at home if those patients are housebound and live within five miles of their general dental practice.
	Dorset and Somerset strategic health authority advise that there are general dental practitioners across Dorset who specialise in domiciliary visits and, will travel further than five miles to visit housebound patients.
	The East and West Dorset community dental services provides a domiciliary service for patients not registered with an NHS dentist.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Rosie Winterton: The Department's advertising is commissioned through the Central Office of Information. Expenditure for 200204 and 200304 is shown in the table. Figures for previous years can only be provided at a disproportionate cost.
	
		
			  Creative Agency Strategic Media Agency  Campaign Description Amount Billed (ex VAT) million Media (ex VAT) million Production and Fees only million 
		
		
			 B Hodes n/a Dept of Health Directories Advertising 200304 123,609 123,505 104 
			 Mother PHD Drugs Advertising Campaign 200304 1,936,457 1,276,009 660,448 
			 DLKW Naked Teenage Pregnancy 200304 1,484,533 1,347,107 137,426 
			 AMV PHD Tobacco Information Campaign 200304 14,349,980 14,027,512 322,468 
			 Leo Burnett Mediavest Social Care Recruitment 200304 973,014 799,971 173,043 
			 EURO Naked NHS Direct 200304 480,533 423,407 57,126 
			 Leo Burnett Mediavest NHS Professionals 200304 389,396 368,799 20,597 
			 Barkers n/a Global Recruitment 200304 127,648 123,211 4,437 
			 BMP n/a HIB Vaccination Campaign 200304 369,699 379,135 17,564 
			 Barkers n/a NHS Modernisation Agency Recruitment 200304 66,728 60,555 6,173 
			 Leo Burnett Mediavest NHS Careers 200304 4,244,604 3,490,075 754,529 
			 EURO Naked Wider Access 200304 1,704,765 1,538,140 166,625 
			 EURO Naked Get the Right Treatment 200304 435  435 
			 n/a n/a Asian Tobacco Campaign 200304 42,582  42,582 
			 EURO Optimedia Flu Jabs 200304 1,525,345 1,398,639 126,706 
			 DLKW Naked Adult Sexual Health 200304 1,200,741 1,040,435 160,306 
			 BMP n/a Child Immunisation 200304 1,576,434 1,472,563 103,871 
			 n/a n/a Local Job Shop Avon, Glocs and Wilts 200304 804 768 36 
			 n/a n/a Local Job ShopTrent 200304 3,585 3,428 157 
			 BMP n/a MMR Campaign 200304 139,526 129,638 9,888 
			 Leo Burnett n/a GP's  Consultants Recruitment 200304 240,577 234,594 5,983 
			 n/a n/a Thames Valley WDC Job Shop 200304 424 405 19 
			 n/a n/a Birmingham WDCGP Returners 200304 2,982 2,853 129 
			 n/a n/a West Midlands WDCGP Returners 200304 15,934 15,244 690 
			 n/a n/a Staffs and Shropshire WDCGP Returner's 200304 16,256 15,546 710 
			 Leo Burnett Mediavest NHS Careers Job Shops 200304 252,981 209,350 43,631 
			 O and M n/a Antibiotics Campaign 200304 542,645 517,843 24,802 
			 Leo Burnett Mediavest Social Care Recruitment Campaign 200304 3,485,084 2,813,766 671,318 
			 Barkers n/a London Patient Choice Programme 200304 78,243 76,897 1,346 
			 n/a n/a East MidlandsAnti Smoking 200304 15,705 15,297 408 
			 Total   35,418,249 31,904,692 3,513,557

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies, since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Rosie Winterton: Details of individual amounts of sponsorship valued at more than 5,000 are published in the Department's annual report. The 2004 annual report was published on 29 April 2004. Copies are available in the Library.

Departmental Research

Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department has spent on research into (a) Alzheimer's disease, (b) Parkinson's disease, (c) Huntingdon's disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) motor neurone disease in the last three years.

Melanie Johnson: The main agency through which the Government supports medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	The Department funds research to support policy and to provide the evidence needed to underpin quality improvement and service development in the national health service. Spend by the Department's national research programmes in the three years to 200304 on projects related to the diseases listed was as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 1.4 
			 200203 1.6 
			 200304 2.3 
		
	
	Over 75 per cent., of the Department's total expenditure on health research is devolved to and managed by NHS organisations. From this funding, the NHS reported spending in support of research related to older people and on neurological conditions as follows:
	
		 million
		
			   Older people Neurological conditions 
		
		
			 200102 37 not available 
			 200203 34 28 
			 200304 39 30 
		
	
	Details of individual projects can be found on the national research register at www.dh.gov.uk/research

Departmental Research

Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent research his Department has commissioned on degenerative neurological disorders.

Melanie Johnson: Projects commissioned in the national research programmes over the last three years cover a wide variety of neurological disorders and include:
	investigation of the characteristics of certain conditions and of those experiencing them, for example:
	monitoring the rates and characteristics of children with cerebral palsy;
	describing the neuropathological features of CJD and other atypical dementias;
	exploring the natural history and epidemiology of multiple sclerosis
	research on the efficacy of various treatments, for example:
	the effectiveness of treatment for motor neurone disease;
	the cost-effectiveness of new drugs for epilepsy and Alzheimer's;
	the value of education in promoting health and independence for people with a range of progressive neurological diseases
	studies of the quality and accessibility of health and social care, for example:
	the access to care of people with dementia from minority communities and their carers;
	community care for older people with dementia;
	improving the training of GPs in recognising dementia.
	In addition the Department has funded a major new research initiative costing approximately 2 million long-term neurological conditions. This will underpin and assess the implementation of the national service framework on long-term conditions.
	Over 75 per cent. of the Department's total research and development expenditure is devolved to and managed locally by national health service organisations.

Dermatology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the percentage of general practitioner consultations which concerned skin diseases in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: Detailed data on consultations with general practitioners are not collected.
	Data from the general household survey suggest that there were approximately 241 million consultations in 200203, and the British Association of Dermatologists estimate that about 15 per cent. of all patients who see a general practitioner are seeking help with a skin problem.

Dermatology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many dermatology referrals there were to secondary care in each year since 1997;
	(2)  how many dermatology outpatient appointments there were in each year since 1997;
	(3)  how many finished consultant episodes dermatology has accounted for in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: No separate count of referrals is available, but the information available on finished consultant episodes and numbers of in-year admissions, is in the table. Information on outpatient appointments is not available.
	
		Primary Diagnosis (ICD-10 L00-L99) Diseases of the skin and subcutaneous tissue: counts of finished consultant episodes (FCEs), finished in-year admission episodes and all elective (waiting list, booked and planned) finished in-year admission episodesNHS hospitals, England 199798 to 200203
		
			  FCEs Finished in-year admissions of which: elective 
		
		
			 199798 239,174 222,625 138,835 
			 199899 257,265 242,590 152,906 
			 19992000 266,193 248,550 152,922 
			 200001 279,458 258,213 155,302 
			 200102 277,832 254,556 151,489 
			 200203 284,366 259,143 154,062 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Finished Consultant Episode (FCE)
	An FCE is defined as a period of admitted patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Please note that the figures do not represent the number of patients, as a person may have more than one episode of care within the year.
	2. Finished in-year admissions
	A finished in-year admission is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider, excluding admissions beginning before 1 April at the start of the datayear. Please note that admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year.
	3. Diagnosis (Primary Diagnosis)
	The primary diagnosis is the first of up to 14 (seven prior to 200203) diagnosis fields in the Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set and provides the main reason why the patient was in hospital.
	4. Grossing
	Figures are grossed for both coverage and missing/invalid clinical data, except for 200203, which are not yet adjusted for shortfalls.
	Source:
	Hospital Episode Statistics (HES), Department of Health.

Dermatology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what percentage of the population are affected by skin diseases; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: This information is not held centrally. The Skin Care Campaign, which is the umbrella organisation representing the interests of all people with skin diseases in the UK estimates that up to 25 per cent. of the population will have a skin disease that warrants medical attention at some point in their life.

Dermatology

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the (a) average and (b) maximum time was that a patient waited for a first dermatology out-patient appointment in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Diabetes

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research he has received on possible links between the use of insulin by type 2 diabetes patients and an increased risk of cancer.

Rosie Winterton: The Department is not aware of any United Kingdom funded research in this area.
	A summary of the results of a single study into insulin therapy and colorectal cancer risk among type 2 diabetes patients conducted at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine can be found at http://www.ncbi.nih.gov/Database.
	Details of a small number of current American studies, including research Investigating whether insulin-like growth factor-1 is associated with an increased risk of colorectal, breast and endometrial cancer, can be found on the International Cancer Research Portfolio website at http://www.cancerportfolio.org.

Drug Misuse Treatment

Gary Streeter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the impact of the closure of the Harbour Drug and Alcohol Service in Plymouth to new clients until April 2005 on the treatment of patients with addiction problems;
	(2)  what the waiting time is in Plymouth for a person suffering from drug or alcohol addiction to receive treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not made an assessment of the impact of the changes to the Harbour Drug and Alcohol Service. It is the responsibility of primary care trusts, working with the local drug and alcohol action teams, to plan and develop local drug and alcohol services and ensure that these meet local needs. The Harbour Drug and Alcohol Service is not closing, but I understand that a decision was made recently to temporarily suspend the specialist prescribing service on the ground of clinical safety.
	The latest available information on waiting times for drug treatment in Plymouth is shown in the table. The Department does not hold information on waiting times for alcohol services.
	
		
			  Waiting time (weeks) 
		
		
			 Inpatient 12 
			 Residential rehabilitation 2 
			 Specialist prescribing 0.2 
			 General practitioner prescribing 0.8 
			 Day care 1 
			 Structured counselling 0.2 
		
	
	Source:
	National Treatment Agency.

Drug Misuse Treatment

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people in Manchester, Withington were receiving treatment for drug misuse on the latest date for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: In 200304, the number of people in Manchester receiving treatment from the Manchester Drug Action Team was 2,695. These are the latest data available, published by the National Treatment Agency on 30 September.

Drug Purchasing

David Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what bulk discounts the national health service receives from drug companies.

Rosie Winterton: In the case of branded medicines (that are generally patent protected) suppliers may or may not offer discount to the national health service trusts against their list prices. Where discounts are offered for these products, they may be available simply as a discount, or as a discount for bulk purchases or commitment to purchase specific volumes. Where discounts are not offered, more often than not, NHS trusts will have access to wholesaler discounts.
	NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency aggregates NHS trust business for the supply of licensed medicinal products, competitively tenders this business and awards framework agreements on behalf of the NHS in England. It also awards commitment contracts on behalf of the Department.

Drug Treatment Centres

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on provision for residential drug treatment centres in England.

Melanie Johnson: The current residential drug treatment sector consists of two main treatment typesin-patient treatment and residential rehabilitation. The extent of current provision is as follows:
	The National Treatment Agency (NTA)'s residential service directory lists 111 residential rehabilitation units.
	The recently completed review of in-patient treatment estimated that there are 133 in-patient treatment units.
	Specific work to improve the efficiency of the system to access residential treatment, which includes: a national online database of current vacancies in residential rehab units (Bedvacs) to enable more efficient client placements; and guidance on regional commissioning models for residential drug treatment has been developed, to enable better commissioning of residential treatment places.
	The NTA monitors waiting times for residential treatment. The waiting times for residential drug treatment have been reducing as shown in the following table.
	
		Average waiting times in weeks: December 2001 to September 2004
		
			   In-patient treatment Residential rehabilitation 
		
		
			 NTA target 2 3 
			 December 2001 12.1 9.1 
			 September 2003 3.8 4.5 
			 June 2004 2.8 2.8 
			 September 2004 3.8 2.7 
		
	
	The intensive drug interventions programme (DIP) is now in place in 66 areas with highest levels on drug-related crime. Waiting times for clients in DIP are less than the national average.
	
		Average weighted waiting time in weeks: September 2004
		
			  NTA target September 2004 
		
		
			 In-patient treatment 2 2.73 
			 Residential rehabilitation 3 2.0

Dyspraxia

Iris Robinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps are being taken to improve (a) awareness of and (b) training on dyspraxia for health professionals;
	(2)  what research he has evaluated on the relationship between dyspraxia and (a) diet, (b) crime, (c) drug and alcohol abuse, (d) suicide and (e) homelessness; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: None. The main agency through which the Government support medical and clinical research is the Medical Research Council (MRC). The MRC is an independent body funded by the Department of Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Technology.
	The MRC does not directly commission research projects or earmark funds for particular research areas. Projects are normally funded on a competitive basis in response to proposals submitted across all areas of research relevant to human health. In addition, the MRC identifies priorities for medical research in a number of ways, including strategic reviews of specific areas of science and by responding to the Department's priorities.
	We have no specific plans to raise awareness of dyspraxia among health professionals. The Department is not responsible for setting curricula for health professional training; that is the responsibility of the statutory and professional bodies. However, we do share a commitment with those bodies that all health professionals are trained so that they have the skills and knowledge to deliver a high quality health service to all groups of the population with whom they deal.

Fitness Trainers

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether those who currently pay membership of private health clubs will qualify for a fitness trainer on the national health service.

Melanie Johnson: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Flu Vaccine

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects on funding for general practitioners shortages in supply of influenza vaccine.

John Hutton: There is no shortage in the supply of the influenza vaccine. The Department purchased stock of the vaccine as part of its contingency measures and has over 19,000 doses available, and over 750,000 doses are still available.

Foundation Hospitals

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the total population is from which public and patient membership can be drawn for each of the foundation hospitals where ballots have been held; how many were registered to vote; and how many voted.

John Hutton: Figures for the local resident population of the first wave of national health service foundation trusts are not collected centrally due to the nature of the commissioning of healthcare. The information provided would be duplicated for other local NHS trusts and would therefore be inaccurate.
	Information on elections to the board of governors of NHS foundation trusts is a matter for Monitor, the statutory name of which is the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts. I am informed by the Chairman of Monitor that information on membership and turnout is contained in its publication: NHS Foundation Trusts: Report on Elections and Membership (August 2004) (IRREP 01/04), which is available on Monitor's website at www.monitor-nhsft.gov.uk. Copies are available in the Library.

Freedom of Information Act

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not found it practicable to assess the likely costs of compliance with the Freedom of Information (FOI) Act.
	Our strategy has been to prepare staff and provide guidance that will help them to minimise costs. Apart from a small team of FOI specialists, and development of a new correspondence system that will improve overall efficiency as well as helping to monitor FOI requests, costs will be widely distributed within the Department, as responding to FOI requests will be integrated with ordinary departmental business.

General Practitioners

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people he estimates (a) reside and (b) are registered with a general practitioner in the area served by Nottingham primary care trust.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is shown in the following table. It is based on patient registrations and is constrained to Office of National Statistics (ONS) estimates as at mid-year 2002. This is the latest available validated data for both figures.
	
		
			  Number(39) (head count) 
		
		
			 Resident population 269,814 
			 Registered with a general practitioner(40) 287,809 
		
	
	(39) Excludes armed forces and prisoners.
	(40) The number of patients registered with GPs responsible to this primary care trust (PCT), is higher due to some of the patients living in neighbouring PCTs' areas. Conversely, some of the patients living in Nottingham's geographic area may be registered with GPs responsible to a neighbouring PCT.
	Source:
	Department of Healthshadow health and social care information centre.

General Practitioners

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the difference will be in (a) funding and (b) service provision between the practice based commissioning structure for general practitioner practices and the former GP Fund Holding structure.

John Hutton: The Department of Health is currently finalising guidance on practice based commissioning and this will be published shortly.
	In terms of funding, under general practitioner fund holding, fund holding practices received a management allowance to administer the scheme. Under practice based commissioning, there will be no management allowancethe costs of the scheme will be funded out of savings made by the practice.
	In terms of service provision both schemes strive to engage clinicians, stimulate innovation and provide patient-centred care.
	Under practiced based commissioning, primary care trusts will retain legal responsibility for the contracting process and the single national tariff will prevent competition based on price. Practiced based commissioning will instead focus on quality and efficiency.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether all Government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

GP Surgeries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the general practitioner surgeries which will benefit in the (a) Adur, (b) Arun and (c) Worthing Primary Care Trust areas from funding allocations to improve or renew premises in the current financial year; by how much each will benefit; and for what improvements each allocation was made.

Rosie Winterton: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

GP Surgeries

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what funding has been made available in each primary care trust area for upgrading or rebuilding general practitioner surgeries in each of the last five years.

John Hutton: holding answer 16 November 2004
	Personal medical services (PMS) allocations to primary care trusts (PCTs) do not identify primary care premises funding separately to other PMS services provision elements. Owing to this it is not possible to identify primary care premises allocations separately at a PCT level.
	However under the new primary care medical services contracting arrangements introduced from 200405 it is possible to estimate these resources from 200304 at a national level. From 200304 the total resources made available to PCTs for primary care premises purposes was as follows.
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200304 599 
			 200405 640

Health Care Acquired Infections

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he or a member of his ministerial team was informed of the National Audit Office's planned publication date for the report on health care acquired infections.

Melanie Johnson: We knew in April that publication was expected in July. It was not until late June that a particular date was included in departmental documents but it was still not clear that this was a firm rather than a provisional date.

Health Services (York)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much capital has been invested in York district hospital in each of the last 20 years.

Melanie Johnson: The information is shown in the following table.
	
		York hospitals NHS trust, net book value of purchased capital additions for each year -- 000
		
			  Cash terms 
		
		
			 198687 1,506 
			 198788 1,663 
			 198889 4,300 
			 198990 5,207 
			 199091 6,844 
			 199192 5,972 
			 199293 5,791 
			 199394 6,028 
			 199495 7,456 
			 199596 8,841 
			 199697 2,708 
			 199798 1,457 
			 199899 3,185 
			 19992000 2,778 
			 200001 6,571 
			 200102 4,159 
			 200203 10,232 
		
	
	Sources:
	1. 198687199192 York hospitals NHS trust
	2. 199293200203 York hospitals NHS trust audited summarisation schedules 19921993 to 200203.

Hospital Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether he has instructed commissioners to include information on infection rates of methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus in the information provided under Patient Choice.

John Hutton: Information on methicillin resistant staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) bloodstream infections is currently available to commissioners and others on the Department's website at: http://www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/58/93/04085893.pdf Mandatory national surveillance has been in place since April 2001 and information for the last three years is available for all acute trusts in England. As patient choice increases, information and support will be provided locally by primary care trusts to help patients choose.

Hospital Infections

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the consistency across NHS trusts in methods of monitoring MRSA bloodstream infections under the mandatory surveillance system; and what steps he is taking to ensure consistency.

Melanie Johnson: The Health Protection Agency recently carried out a survey of data collection methods for the mandatory scheme and will be assessing current practice in the light of this.

Hospital Infections

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether it is his policy to maximise the use of new medical technologies in hospitals in tackling MRSA.

Melanie Johnson: We encourage the use of effective technologies to prevent and control all healthcare associated infections, including methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections. To help the national health service identify suitable products and processes, the Health Protection Agency has convened a rapid review panel to review information and evidence relating to claims concerning prevention or control of such infections.

Hospital Infections

Dai Havard: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether hospitals are encouraged to discharge patients for treatment in the community as soon as clinically possible as part of the programme to reduce the number of cases of MRSA in hospitals; and what guidance he has given to primary care teams on funding the treatment of patients once they leave hospital.

Melanie Johnson: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation

Hospital Infections

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Health, if he will make a statement on rates of MSRA at (a) Barnet, (b) Chase Farm, (c) Northwich Park, (d) Royal Free and (e) Edgware Hospitals in each of the last three years.

Stephen Ladyman: pursuant to his reply, 15 November 2004, c. 116364W
	I regret my previous reply was incorrect. It should read as follows:
	Information on the rates of methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) blood stream infections is only available for acute National Health Service trusts and these data are shown in the table.
	Data is not collected centrally for Barnet Primary Care Trust, of which Edgware Hospital is a part.
	
		
			 Name of NHS trust Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports April 2001March 2002 MRSA rate per 1000 bed-days April 2001March 2002 Number of MRSA bacteraemia reports April 2002-March 2003 MRSA rate per 1,000 bed-days April 2002March 2003 MRSA bacteraemia reports April 2003March 2004 MRSA rate per 1,000 bed-days April 2003March 2004 
		
		
			 Barnet and Chase Farm Hospitals NHS Trust 62 0.20 94 0.28 94 0.27 
			 North West London Hospitals NHS Trust 59 0.23 44 0.16 55 0.20 
			 Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust 122 0.41 101 0.39 98 0.34

Hospital Infections

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients contracted MRSA last year following a visit to a NHS hospital; and what plans he has to combat the spread of this disease.

Melanie Johnson: Information on all methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) infections is not available but 7,657 blood stream infections were reported in 200304. We have an on-going programme of work to prevent and control MRSA and other healthcare associated infections. Recent measures include the launch of a national hand hygiene campaign and a new target to halve MRSA blood stream infections by 2008.

Hospital Radio

Candy Atherton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has (a) to promote and (b) to develop hospital radio.

Rosie Winterton: Hospital radio stations have provided an invaluable service to patients for many years. It is up to each individual national health service trust as to how hospital radio stations are promoted and developed locally.

Influenza Vaccine

Simon Burns: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he was informed of the problem with influenza vaccines at Chiron; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: holding answer 14 October 2004
	Chiron Vaccines notified the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency inspector responsible for the Speke site, of a potential problem with influenza vaccine on 27 August 2004. The MHRA carried out an initial inspection and informed Ministers there was a problem on 15 September 2004.

Learning Disability

Paul Holmes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which long-stay hospitals provide accommodation for people with a learning disability; how many people with a learning disability remain in each of these; and whether each hospital will meet its agreed closure date.

Stephen Ladyman: In March 2001, when Valuing People was published, approximately 1,500 people with learning disabilities were living in long-stay hospitals. On 1 April 2004, the number was 668.
	This table shows the remaining long-stay hospitals providing accommodation, the number of people in each.
	
		
			 Name of Hospital Number of people at 1 April 2004 
		
		
			 Aston Hall 54 
			 Chase Farm 10 
			 Earls House 6 
			 Fieldhead 35 
			 Gloucester Centre 20 
			 Gorse Hill 53 
			 Highbury 30 
			 Lea Castle 10 
			 Little Highwood 48 
			 Little Plumstead 20 
			 Long Leys Court 1 
			 Monkton Hall 35 
			 Northgate 74 
			 Oak House 2 
			 Orchard Hill 104 
			 Princess Marina 16 
			 Prudhoe 30 
			 Ridge Hill 36 
			 St. Catherine's 34 
			 St. Ebba's 50 
			 Total 668 
		
	
	Closure dates have been agreed for all but three establishments and the responsible strategic health authorities have given assurances that these dates will be met. The remaining three dates are being negotiated within the whole closure programme of April 2006.

Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Rosie Winterton: Providing information for the period requested will incur disproportionate costs.

Leukaemia (Power Lines)

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of children under 15 years of age who (a) died and (b) suffered from leukaemia in each of the last three years who lived (i) within 100 metres of and (ii) over 100 metres away from high voltage power lines.

Stephen Ladyman: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what progress has been made in the appointment of an official within the Maldon and South Chelmsford primary care trust with responsibility for co-ordinating healthcare policy in South Woodham Ferrers.

Stephen Ladyman: In line with Shifting the Balance of Power and the NHS Plan, it is now for primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use the funds allocated to them to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
	I understand that Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT advertised the position of project manager on 15 October, with a closing date of 29 October. The advert has attracted four applicants, and interviews are scheduled to take place on 29 November. The PCT hopes to be able to announce the successful candidate in December.

Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the public relations budget of the Maldon and South Chelmsford primary care trust was in the first six months of the current financial year.

Stephen Ladyman: The Department allocates revenue funding to primary care trusts (PCTs) on the basis of the relative needs of their populations. In the allocations for 200304 to 200506 none of the growth money has been identified for specific purposes.
	It is for PCTs, in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use these funds to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
	I understand that Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT has contracted out its public relations function, at a cost of 900 per month, plus value added tax, since 2001. The contract is open ended and is not subject to inflationary increase.

Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when the new hospital planned for Maldon will open; what the estimated cost of the project is; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In line with Shifting the Balance of Power and the NHS Plan, it is now for primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders, to determine how best to use the funds allocated to them to meet national and local priorities for improving health, tackling health inequalities and modernising services.
	I understand that Maldon and South Chelmsford PCT is at a critical stage in negotiating the purchase of a suitable parcel of land within the Maldon area on which it wishes to site the new community hospital. Subject to the negotiations reaching a successful conclusion, the PCT is planning to open the new hospital in early 2008. The estimated costs of the new community hospital under the private finance initiative is approximately 27 million.

Male Circumcision

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the health effects of circumcision of male infants.

Stephen Ladyman: Circumcision in male infants has a number of potential complications. It is largely performed for cultural or religious reasons in neonates and the postulated health benefits are contentious. Beyond the neonatal period it may be performed for medical conditions, but there is a growing view among paediatric urologists that the majority of these are better dealt with by more conservative treatment. I understand guidelines have been issued by the General Medical Council, and that the British Medical Association has advised doctors performing circumcisions on male infants to ensure that those giving consent consider all the risks and benefits associated with the procedure.

ME

David Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with the Chief Medical Officer on (a) the clinical definition of and (b) the available treatments for sufferers of myalgic encephalitis.

Stephen Ladyman: Ministers and the Chief Medical Officer meet on a regular basis to discuss a variety of issues relating to myalgic encephalitis, the most recent meeting being with me and Lord Warner on 8 November.

Mental Health

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the acute NHS trusts in England that do not have a designated place of safety as defined by the Mental Health Act 1983.

Rosie Winterton: The Mental Health Act 1983 provides for people who appear to be suffering from mental disorder to be removed to a place of safety in certain circumstances. For these purposes, a place of safety includes residential accommodation provided by a local social services authority, a hospital, a police station, an independent hospital or care home for mentally disordered persons, or any other suitable place whose occupier is willing temporarily to receive the patient. The identification of preferred places of safety is a matter for local agreement. The Department does not maintain records of these places.

Mental Health

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the cost is in this financial year of mental health services provided by the Salisbury NHS mental health team; how many mental health patients from (a) Devizes, (b) West Wiltshire, (c) the New Forest and (d) elsewhere outside Salisbury have been treated by the team in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested is not held centrally.

Mental Health

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what the construction cost was of the Grovely in-patient ward at the Fountain Way facility of the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust in Salisbury; what the running costs have been in each of the last five years; and what the options are for the use of the Grovely facility if the decision is taken to close it;
	(2)  for what reasons it is proposed to cut funding for mental health services in Salisbury by 2.5 million; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  for what reasons the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust proposes to close Grovely House; what alternative facilities will be available to patients if this facility closes; whether it is proposed to disband the local outreach team; whether additional funds will be made available to (a) general practitioners and (b) Wiltshire County Council to provide alternative care in the event that the trust reduces in-patient facilities in Salisbury; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: The information requested on construction and running costs is not collected centrally.
	It is for primary care trusts (PCTs), in partnership with other national health service bodies and stakeholders, to plan and commission appropriate levels of service for their populations. PCTs have been given increased funding to enable them to do this and South Wiltshire PCT's allocation for 200405 is 108.5 million, an increase in cash terms of 8.9 per cent.
	Public consultation on proposals for mental health services locally is being undertaken by the NHS in South Wiltshire before any final decisions are taken.

Mental Health

Robert Key: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many elderly inpatient and acute beds at the Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership NHS Trust's Salisbury facility are blocked; how many have been blocked for (a) three months or more, (b) six months or more and (c) one year or more; and what the length of stay is of the patient who has been at the hospital for the longest time.

Rosie Winterton: Data is collected centrally on delayed discharges from acute beds only. The Avon and Wiltshire Mental Health Partnership National Health Service Trust does not have acute beds and therefore no information is available.

Mental Health

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what instructions have been issued to staff of the National Institute for Mental Health concerning comments by them on the draft Mental Health Bill.

Rosie Winterton: The Department has not given any instructions to staff of the National Institute for Mental Health in England (NIMHE) concerning their comments on the draft Mental Health Bill.

MRI/CT Scanners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many people have been (a) killed and (b) injured in adverse incidents involving scanners in the NHS in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  how many adverse incidents involving (a) MRI and (b) CT scanners there have been in (i) England and (ii) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997; and if he will estimate the costs of these incidents.

Rosie Winterton: Since 1997 a total of 147 incidents involving computer tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scanners have been reported to the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MHRA).
	110 of these involved MRI and 37 CT procedures.
	
		Number of incidents reported to MHRA
		
			  CT MR Total 
		
		
			 1997 0 0 0 
			 1998 0 0 0 
			 1999 0 5 5 
			 2000 0 4 4 
			 2001 0 22 22 
			 2002 4 29 33 
			 2003 16 22 38 
			 2004 to date 17 28 45 
			 Total 37 110 147 
		
	
	The identification of strategic health authorities where these incidents occurred is only available following a more detailed interrogation of the MHRA's adverse incident database.
	The costs of these incidents is not known, as this information was not reported to the MHRA at the time.
	Of the 37 incidents relating to CT scanning, three have resulted in injuries to patients. These have been classified as minor injuries, resulting from software problems, which led to slightly more radiation than expected being delivered to the patients. These were not deemed statistically significant.
	Forty-seven of the 110 incidents relating to MRI scanning have resulted in minor injuries, and there has been one fatality.
	This fatality occurred when a patient who had a cardiac pacemaker in situ underwent a MRI procedure.
	Cardiac pacemakers are an absolute contra-indication to undertaking MRI scans and there was a breakdown in local policies and procedures which led to this patient being scanned. Local scanning procedures and policies have been considerably revised to prevent any re-occurrence.
	The MHRA attended a meeting of EUCOMED (European medical technologies industry body) in September 2004 where the issue of the compatibility of implants with MRI scanners was discussed. This meeting recommended that a further meeting dedicated entirely to this problem involving EUCOMED, COCIR (European coordination committee of the radiological and electromedical industry), representatives of major implant manufacturers, and representatives of MRI manufacturers should take place in Brussels early next year (February 2005).
	The remaining injuries have mainly resulted in skin reddening, or minor burns, caused by the heating effect of the coils used in MRI scanning. Most of these appear to have been due to user error in placing the coils. Work is on-going to improve both manufacturers' information on coil usage and to ensure that operators of this equipment are fully aware of the potential for injury to patients if this advice is not followed.
	Where equipment has been found to be faulty this has been addressed with the manufacturers and changes implemented.
	No injuries to patients were reported prior to 2000.
	
		Injuries caused by CT and MRI scanners reported to MHRA
		
			  Fatality Injury 
		
		
			 2000  2 
			 2001  11 
			 2002 1 14 
			 2003  13 
			 2004 to date  10 
			 Total 1 50

MRI/CT Scanners

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what proportion of (a) MRI scans and (b) CT scans were conducted as outpatient procedures in the latest period for which figures are available.

Melanie Johnson: Data outlining how many outpatient procedures took place for magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans and computer tomography (CT) scans is not currently collected centrally.
	However, a count of imaging and radiodiagnostic examinations or tests by imaging modality is collected on the Department's KH12 return. Data on MRI and CT scans is given in the table.
	
		Total number of imaging and radiodiagnostic examinations or tests, CT and MRI, England, 199596 to 200203
		
			  CT MRI 
		
		
			 199596 1,709,244 347,817 
			 199697 1,056,365 394,940 
			 199798 1,172,656 473,074 
			 199899 1,254,474 522,138 
			 19992000 1,359,852 585,797 
			 200001 1,488,752 632,594 
			 200102 1,625,304 705,706 
			 200203 1,767,791 786,646 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form KH12

MS Nurses

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effects on local services of his Department's scheme for centrally-funded multiple sclerosis specialist nurses;
	(2)  which primary care trusts have received funding under his Department's scheme for centrally-funded multiple sclerosis specialist nurses, broken down by amount;
	(3)  which primary care trusts are awaiting confirmation of funding under his Department's scheme for centrally-funded multiple sclerosis specialist nurses; and when he expects them to receive confirmation of funding.

Stephen Ladyman: There are no outstanding applications and all successful bids have been funded. Details of the allocations have been placed in the Library.
	Professor Tom Walley of Liverpool University has been commissioned to undertake a review of the scheme.

NHS Care for the Elderly

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps are being taken to improve (a) intermediate care, (b) rehabilitation, (c) stroke services and (d) community care for the elderly in North Staffordshire.

Stephen Ladyman: The national service framework for older people was published on 27 March 2001. It set national standards to improve services for older people, whether they are at home, in residential care or in hospital.
	Decisions on how these services are developed to meet national standards are taken locally. Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority (SHA) reports that:
	Over 1.5 million has now been invested in developing intermediate care in North Staffordshire with additional investment to come as part of the Fit for the Future project. The hospital discharge teams have been amalgamated.
	In 200304 1,813 patients received national health service funded intermediate care with the numbers increasing each month. There are now two community intermediate care teams, one for the city and one for the county and both are working very closely with social services. A total of 0.75 million has now been transferred from the health community to the two social services departments to further support community developments.
	Intermediate care is being developed by both health and social services through in-patient and community service provision. While primary care trusts (PCTs) are leading on the majority of elderly care developments, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust is working with them to pilot intermediate care in-patient provision for older people with mental health needs.
	Rehabilitation at Bucknall Hospital has recently undertaken a modernisation programme with the twin intentions of improving standards of care and reducing length of stay.
	A review of the total stroke care pathway across primary and secondary care is in progress taking on board the latest evidence based clinical practice.
	Planning has commenced to further develop the stroke rehabilitation facility at Bucknall Hospital in line with the public consultation on post acute intermediate care linked to the Fit for the Future project. Interserve were appointed in the middle of June as the preferred supply chain partner to work with all stakeholders to deliver this facility.
	In close collaboration with the University Hospital of North Staffordshire NHS Trust, North Staffordshire Combined Healthcare NHS Trust and Stoke and Staffordshire Social Services Departments, improvements have been made in using the community hospital beds to support step down care from acute beds primarily for older people.

NHS Direct

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of NHS Direct; and if he will make a statement.

Rosie Winterton: NHS Direct was set up to help callers access the right service at the right time and to give people reassuring clinical advice so that they can look after themselves, if that is the appropriate thing to do. NHS Direct has grown from a small pilot project to a substantial national service handling over 500,000 telephone calls and 500,000 internet visitor sessions every month. As such, it is the world's largest and most successful service of its type, empowering patients to exercise better informed choices about their own healthcare.
	The National Audit Office's report on NHS Direct, published in January 2002, highlighted that NHS Direct is a very safe service and that adverse clinical outcomes associated with the service are likely to be rare. This confirmed the findings of earlier independent research by Sheffield University.
	We are committed to the further development of NHS Direct, including the expansion of its call-taking capacity and the development of various channels through which patients can access the services it provides.

NHS Estate (Maintenance)

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the maintenance backlog to reach estate code condition B was in (a) England and (b) each strategic health authority in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave on 9 February 2004, Official Report, columns 120506W.

NHS Facilities

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 28 October 2004, Official Report, column 1340W, on NHS facilities, what the cost of each of the additional facilities listed was.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		
			 Facility Cost 
		
		
			 Trent Access and Choice Pilot (TRAC) 10.8 million in 200304 and 1.8 million in 200405. This covers all 19 primary care trusts (PCTs) in the Trent Strategic Health Authority (SHA) area. Nottingham PCTs received 1,890,234 in 200304 and 541,000 in 200405 
			   
			 Queens Medical Centre, Nottingham University Hospital National Health Service Trust 
			 Ear nose and throat/ophthalmology unit ( million) 18.5 
			 Accident and emergency department (expansion and modernisation) ( million) 6.3 
			 Maternity unit (modernisation and refurbishment) ( million) 1.45 
			 Set up of patient advice and liaison service (PALS) () 100,000 
			 PALS staffing () 74,500 
			 Simulation and clinical skills centre ( million) 2.48 
			 Magnetic resonance imaging scanner ( million) 1 
			   
			 Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust  
			 Extension of cardiac surgery unit () 250,000 
			 High dependency unit () 980,00 
			 Re-provision of endoscopy unit ( million) 3.1 
			 New orthopaedic pre-operative assessment suite () 500,000 
			 Re-provision of breast unit ( million) 5.2 
			 New clinical haematology wards ( million) 1.8 
			   
			 Walk-in centre  
			 Nottingham walk-in centre 1.2 million annual budget (includes all staffing and service provision costs and patient care) 
			   
			 Dental centre  
			 Dental access centre This cost comes under the walk-in centre figure above 
			 Personal dental services 142,000. This cost includes a total of six pilot sites in Rushcliffe 
			 Dental field site in Chilwell 3,000 of Modernisation Agency funding for information technology 
			   
			 Independent sector treatment centre (ISTC)  
			 ISTC 90 million over a five year contract period 
			   
			 Pharmacy  
			 Pharmacy openings Local information at this level is not available centrally

NHS Finance

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department makes up the shortfall where there is a deficit in (a) ambulance service and (b) primary care trusts' budgets.

John Hutton: The national health service must live within the funding made available and all organisations are expected to plan for and deliver financial balance to achieve this. Any deficits by NHS organisations need to be matched by underspends by other NHS bodies each year to ensure the NHS as a whole remains within the funding available. In the next year, NHS organisations that overspent should make a surplus in order to ensure that other bodies can utilise the underspends from the previous year.

NHS Procurement

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to improve efficiency in NHS procurement in North Staffordshire.

John Hutton: North Staffordshire is actively involved in the national supply chain excellence programme as part of a pathfinding collaborative procurement hub project. The hub will coordinate all purchasing activity in Shropshire and Staffordshire to improve performance, efficiency and generate substantial savings and benefits for all national health service trusts in the area.

NHS Professionals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many placements have been secured through NHS professionals to date.

John Hutton: NHS Professionals was established as a Special Health Authority from 1 April 2004. Since that time it has been responsible for filling a total of 935,110 placements for doctors, nurses, allied health professionals and administrative and clerical staff.

NHS Staff

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many reported violent incidents against NHS staff there were in (a) England, (b) each strategic health authority and (c) each primary care trust in each year since 1997.

John Hutton: The information requested was not collated centrally until 200001 and since then the statistics from different areas are incomplete. The available statistics on reported violent incidents, including both physical and non-physical assaults, against NHS staff for 200001, 200102 and 200203 in England; strategic health authorities (SHA); and primary care trusts (PCT) are summarised in the table.
	
		Estimated number of reported violent or abusive incidents for 200001, 200102, 200203 in (a) England, (b) SHA, (c) PCT
		
			  200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 England 84,214 112,000 116,000 
			 SHA 45 20 11 
			 PCT 1,156 5,802 20,767 
		
	
	In November 2003 the NHS Security Management Service launched a new national reporting system for physical assaults. Statistics on physical assaults against staff in the NHS will be available from 200405, with statistics on non-physical assault available from 200506.

NHS Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  how many nursing posts in the NHS are funded by pharmaceutical companies, broken down by trust;
	(2)  what his policy is on hospitals employing nurses and doctors funded for wholly or in part by pharmaceutical companies.

Rosie Winterton: It has not been possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Nottingham Services

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to his answer of 28 October, Official Report, column 1334W, on services in Nottingham, how many (a) doctors and (b) nurses were employed by trusts which fall wholly within the City of Nottingham local government boundary (i) in 1997 and (ii) on the latest date for which figures are available.

Stephen Ladyman: The information is shown in the table.
	Nottingham City Primary Care Trust (PCT), Nottingham City Trust Hospital and the Queens Medical Centre National Health Service Trust have been identified by Trent Strategic Health Authority as those trusts which fall within the City of Nottingham local government boundary. PCTs did not come into existence until 1 April 2000. Therefore there is no direct comparison to 1997. Nottingham Health Authority is the closest match, but this includes staff working in a significantly larger geographical area.
	
		Numbers of doctors and nurses employed in Nottingham(latest available information)
		
			 1997 Doctors(41) Nurses(42) 
		
		
			 Nottingham Health Authority 1,471 4,695 
			 Total 1,471 4,695 
		
	
	
		
			 2003 Doctors(41) Nurses(42) 
		
		
			 Nottingham City PCT 190 853 
			 Nottingham City Hospital NHS Trust 421 1,170 
			 Queen's Medical Centre NHS Trust 724 2,040 
			 Total 1,335 4,063 
		
	
	Notes:
	(41) These figures include hospital and community health services doctors and general medical practitioners.
	(42) These figures include qualified nursing, midwifery and health visiting staff and GP nurses.
	Sources:
	Department of Health general and personal medial services statistics.
	Department of Health medical and dental workforce census.
	Department of Health non-medical workforce census.

Offender Rehabilitation

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make a statement on the siting of rehabilitation facilities for offenders with learning difficulties; and what discussions he has had with the Home Secretary on the location of such facilities.

Stephen Ladyman: Local primary care trusts are responsible for commissioning health services for their local communities including those for adults with learning disabilities. This involves securing the provision of services but also the broader tasks of improving the health of the local community and integrating health and social care.
	This is a matter solely for the Secretary of State for Health.

Parliamentary Questions

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he will reply to the Question tabled by the hon. Member for Bath on 22 July, ref 187176; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: I replied to the hon. Member today.

Patient Choice

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his policy is on requiring primary care trusts to offer patients the choice of an independent sector provider at the point of referral.

John Hutton: The Government are committed to the expansion of the national health service to offer patients greater choice. Independent sector providers are supplementing this expansion and helping to deliver the increased capacity and choice to NHS patients.
	By December 2005, primary care trusts will commission four to five service providers to offer their patients choice at the point of referral. The range of providers commissioned could include NHS trusts, foundations trusts, NHS and independent sector treatment centres, independent sector hospitals and general practitioners with a special interest or other extended primary care treatment services.

Patient Choice

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will publish the guidance given to primary care trusts on the implementation of his Department's policy to offer a choice of four or five providers to patients at the point of referral.

John Hutton: The Choose and BookPatients Choice of Hospital and Booked Appointment policy guidance was published on 23 August 2004. The guidance can be found on the Department's website at: www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/08/83/52/04088352.pdf Copies have been placed in the Library.

Patient Numbers

Kevin Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate he has made of the number of people who are suffering from (a) Alzheimer's disease, (b) Parkinson's disease, (c) Huntingdon's disease, (d) multiple sclerosis and (e) motor neurone disease.

Stephen Ladyman: Although the Department does not routinely collect information on the number of people diagnosed with specific conditions, estimates for the United Kingdom are given in the table.
	
		
			 Condition Number 
		
		
			 Alzheimer's disease 400,000 
			 Parkinson's disease 120,000 
			 Huntingdon's disease 4,800 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 85,000 
			 Motor Neurone disease 5,000 
		
	
	The Department provides hospital episode statistics data, which relates to diagnostic information for in-patients in national health service hospitals. The data refers to the number of finished admission episodes and are shown in the table.
	
		Finished admission episodes for selected diagnoses NHS hospitals 200203
		
			 Diagnosis Finished admission episodes 
		
		
			 Alzheimer's Disease 6,816 
			 Parkinson's Disease 7,074 
			 Huntingdon's Disease 386 
			 Multiple Sclerosis 14,594 
			 Motor Neurone Disease 2,240 
		
	
	A finished admission episode is the first period of in-patient care under one consultant within one healthcare provider. Admissions do not represent the number of in-patients, as a person may have more than one admission within the year. During their course of treatment over a period of time, patients may have a number of episodes of care, which are counted each time they have a stay in hospital.

Prescriptions

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will estimate the income to be received by his Department from pre-payment certificates for prescription charges in real terms in (a) 200506, (b) 200607, (c) 200708, (d) 200809 and (e) 200910.

Rosie Winterton: It has not been possible to respond the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Press Officers

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much his Department spent in (a) 199697 and (b) the last year for which figures are available on press officers, broken down by grade.

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers are employed in his Department; and how many were employed in each year since 199697.

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years.

Rosie Winterton: holding answers 16 July 2004, 1 November 2004 and 4 November 2004
	The Department does not use the term press officer in the data recorded for management purposes about staff in its media centre. These data are instead recorded by civil service pay grade, and not by any functional attribute. In the absence of such a definition, there is no reliable record of the number of staff within the media centre, which comprises staff at a variety of grades performing a range of tasks, including administrative and managerial ones, to whom the term press officer could have been applicable. As a result of this uncertainty, over the course of several years, answers to Parliamentary Questions about press officer numbers have been based on ad hoc definitions and methodologies, giving rise to further variations in handling other contributory factors, such as:
	in-year leavers and joiners;
	full- and part-time posts;
	vacancies;
	degree of direct contact with the media by administrative and by managerial staff.
	Robust data on the number of press officers employed by the Department during the financial years 199699 were provided in Appendix II of the report The Government Information and Communications Service (HC 770) published by the Select Committee on Public Administration (29 July 1998). Using the same methodology, information on media centre costs and numbers of press officers for the period 199798 to 200304 is shown in the following tables.
	
		Cost of media centre staff, 199798 to 200304
		
			  Cost ( million) 
		
		
			 199798 1.062 
			 199899 1.122 
			 19992000 1.253 
			 200001 1.233 
			 200102 1.279 
			 200203 1.077 
			 200304 1.284 
		
	
	
		Number of press officers, 199798 to 200304
		
			  Number of staff 
		
		
			 199798 15 
			 199899 15 
			 19992000 21 
			 200001 22 
			 200102 22 
			 200203 24 
			 200304 26 
		
	
	I regret that attempts to be helpful in providing substantive responses to Members' Questions have led to an unsatisfactory level of consistency with the data reported. Mechanisms are now in place to record this data on a consistent basis. We will, as a matter of routine, be carrying out an audit at the end of each financial year, on both costs and numbers of staff, the results of which will be placed in the Library.

Primary Care Trusts

Mark Francois: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what the standard notice period is for the chief executive of an NHS primary care trust.

John Hutton: There is currently no standard national contract for national health service primary care trust chief executives. The period of notice is, therefore, defined in law by the terms of each individual's contract of employment with their employer. The precise terms of a contract may vary from individual to individual. Details of individual contracts are not held centrally by the Department.

Public Health

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to publish a delivery plan on physical activity in relation to the Public Health White Paper.

Melanie Johnson: We will publish a physical activity plan, including those commitments identified in the White Paper and other relevant departmental plans, in the spring.

Public Health

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library a copy of the report his Department commissioned on Promoting Physical ActivitySelected International Activity.

Melanie Johnson: The report has been placed in the Library. It is also available on the Department's website at www.dh.gov.uk/assetRoot/04/09/46/56/04094656.pdf.

Public Health

Chris Smith: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what discussions he has had with broadcasters in preparing the proposals set out in his Public Health White Paper on restrictions on broadcast advertising.

Melanie Johnson: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Radio-diagnostic Equipment

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will meet manufacturers of radio-diagnostic equipment to discuss increasing the weight limit of 21 to 22 stones for use of such equipment.

Rosie Winterton: A review of current weight limits for the major manufacturer's X-ray couches has shown that most are substantially above 22 stones. Some couches have limits of just over 21 stones when tilted, but are above 23 stones in the horizontal position. Earlier models still in service may have lower weight limits.
	Nuclear medicine, where the patient is injected with a radioactive substance and then scanned to image regions of interest, becomes less effective as the patient's weight increases. In the interests of patient safety maximum doses are set by the Administration of Radioactive Substances Advisory Committee, which is part of the Department. This will limit the amount of radiation available to produce an image in heavier patients. However, these maximum doses can be exceeded on a named patient basis in special circumstances.
	It is not necessary for a Minister to meet with manufacturers at this time.

Renal Dialysis

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the amount of renal dialysis provision which will be required in Warrington over the next five years if all patients requiring dialysis are to be treated locally.

Rosie Winterton: holding answer 11 November 2004
	In January 2004, the Department published the national service framework for renal services, part one. This identifies various steps that primary care trusts and national health service trusts can make to take forward delivery.
	From 200001 to 200506, up to 60 million central capital funding will be provided to support the expansion of centre-based haemodialysis to meet increasing local demand for dialysis. This includes 9 million in 200405 and 14 million in 200506.
	The Cheshire and Merseyside Strategic Health Authority received 504,000 in 200405.

Radiographers

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effects of Agenda for Change on the (a) remuneration and (b) working hours of radiographers in the NHS.

John Hutton: We anticipate that for the majority of existing radiographers the effect of Agenda for Change will be an increase in their rate of pay. Under Agenda for Change, there will be a phased move to a standard working week for all full-time national health service staff of 37.5 hours per week. In the case of radiographers, this will mean an increase in their current weekly hours from 35 to 37.5. The changes for radiographers will be phased in over seven years, with no change at all for the first four years.

Radiographers

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent discussions he has had with representatives of professional groups on increasing the number of radiographers available to the NHS.

John Hutton: I have regular meetings with professional bodies, including the Society of Radiographers, to discuss a wide range of topics, for example increasing the number of radiographers in the national health service.

Radiographers

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many vacancies there are in the NHS for (a) radiographers and (b) radiotherapy technicians.

John Hutton: Specific information on the number of vacancies for radiotherapy technicians is not collected centrally. The tables show the number and rate of vacancies lasting three months or more for radiographers and radiotherapy physicists.
	
		Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2004, NHS 3 month vacancies by Government Office Region and Strategic Health Authority area for qualified radiography staff -- 3 month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			   Diagnostic radiographers 
			   March 2004 September 2003 
			   3 month vacancy rate (%) 3 month vacancy (No.) Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			  England 4.8 488 9,642 11,687 
			 A North East Government Office Region 1.8 11 579 681 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 2.1 8 327 386 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 1.2 3 252 295 
			   
			 B North West Government Office Region 3.9 66 1,636 2,023 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 3.1 13 405 505 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester SHA 4.8 31 605 723 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 3.6 23 626 795 
			 D Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region 1.4 16 1,156 1,393 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA 2.4 7 293 367 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire SHA 1.6 9 588 706 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire SHA 0.0  275 320 
			   
			 E East Midlands Government Office Region 2.3 16 658 819 
			 Q24 Trent SHA 1.8 7 407 502 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 3.1 8 251 317 
			   
			 F West Midlands Government Office Region 3.9 39 946 1,198 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 1.7 5 268 352 
			 Q27 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 4.3 21 432 519 
			 Q28 West Midlands South SHA 5.5 14 246 327 
			   
			 G East of England Government Office Region 4.9 47 934 1,135 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 5.7 29 489 595 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 3.3 8 221 272 
			 Q03 Essex SHA 4.7 10 224 268 
			   
			 H London Government Office Region 10.3 167 1,466 1,814 
			 Q04 North West London SHA 9.5 35 332 358 
			 Q05 North Central London SHA 12.6 47 323 353 
			 Q06 North East London SHA 14.3 43 269 283 
			 Q07 South East London SHA 9.0 29 293 322 
			 Q08 South West London SHA 5.1 14 249 298 
			   
			 J South East Government Office Region 7.6 104 1,268 1607 
			 Q16 Thames Valley SHA 1.6 5 301 403 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle Of Wight SHA 10.4 34 317 414 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway SHA 7.4 21 260 314 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex SHA 9.7 45 390 476 
			   
			 K South West Government Office Region 2.0 21 1,000 1217 
			 D20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 0.8 4 482 582 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula SHA 3.3 10 287 352 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset SHA 2.8 7 231 283 
		
	
	
		3 month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			   Therapeutic radiographers 
			   March 2004 September 2003 
			   3 month vacancy rate (%) 3 month vacancy (No.) Staff in post (wte) Staff in post (headcount) 
		
		
			  England 8.8 144 1,469 1,657 
			 A North East Government Office Region 4.1 3 72 87 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 6.1 3 47 54 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA 0.0  25 33 
			   
			 B North West Government Office Region 11.5 23 181 197 
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA 22.0 12 42 44 
			 Q14 Greater Manchester SHA 12.3 8 63 70 
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA 3.8 3 76 83 
			   
			 D Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region 1.1 2 133 154 
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA 7.2 2 20 21 
			 Q12 West Yorkshire SHA 0.0  64 74 
			 Q23 South Yorkshire SHA 0.0  50 59 
			 E East Midlands Government Office Region 2.3 3 147 168 
			 Q24 Trent SHA 0.0  99 111 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 6.5 3 49 57 
			   
			 F West Midlands Government Office Region 14.1 20 128 141 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 14.2 6 31 3.5 
			 Q27 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 13.4 10 68 74 
			 Q28 West Midlands South SHA 15.5 5 29 32 
			 G East of England Government Office Region 6.8 12 165 193 
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 0.0  91 105 
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 20.7 9 35 43 
			 Q03 Essex SHA 7.4 3 39 45 
			   
			 H London Government Office Region 13.4 39 249 265 
			 Q04 North West London SHA 33.7 15 31 31 
			 Q05 North Central London SHA 10.8 8 58 61 
			 Q06 North East London SHA 8.0 4 47 50 
			 Q07 South East London SHA 17.6 12 61 64 
			 Q08 South West London SHA 0.0  53 59 
			   
			 J South East Government Office Region 12.5 34 218 256 
			 Q16 Thames Valley SHA 11.5 6 46 54 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle Of Wight SHA 4.3 3 72 83 
			 Q18 Kent and Medway SHA 15.4 11 45 53 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex SHA 17.8 14 55 66 
			   
			 K South West Government Office Region 4.6 8 175 196 
			 D20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 6.0 5 84 96 
			 Q21 South West Peninsula SHA 4.7 3 62 68 
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset SHA 0.0  29 32 
		
	
	
		3 month vacancy rates, numbers and staff in post
		
			   Radiotherapy physicists 
			   3 month vacancy rate (%) 3 month vacancy (No.) 
		
		
			  England 2.2 15 
			 
			 A North East Government Office Region 3.8 1 
			 Q09 Northumberland, Tyne and Wear SHA 3.8 1 
			 Q10 County Durham and Tees Valley SHA   
			 
			 B North West Government Office Region   
			 Q13 Cumbria and Lancashire SHA   
			 Q14 Greater Manchester SHA   
			 Q15 Cheshire and Merseyside SHA   
			 
			 D Yorkshire and the Humber Government Office Region 0.0  
			 Q11 North and East Yorkshire and Northern Lincolnshire SHA   
			 Q12 West Yorkshire SHA 0.0  
			 Q23 South Yorkshire SHA 0.0  
			 
			 E East Midlands Government Office Region 2.9 2 
			 Q24 Trent SHA 2.1 1 
			 Q25 Leicestershire, Northamptonshire and Rutland SHA 4.5 1 
			 
			 F West Midlands Government Office Region 1.2 1 
			 Q26 Shropshire and Staffordshire SHA 0.0  
			 Q27 Birmingham and The Black Country SHA 2.2 1 
			 Q28 West Midlands South SHA 0.0  
			 
			 G East of England Government Office Region 0.0  
			 Q01 Norfolk, Suffolk and Cambridgeshire SHA 0.0  
			 Q02 Bedfordshire and Hertfordshire SHA 0.0  
			 Q03 Essex SHA 0.0  
			 
			 H London Government Office Region 3.1 5 
			 Q04 North West London SHA 8.5 3 
			 Q05 North Central London SHA 9.0 2 
			 Q06 North East London SHA 0.0  
			 Q07 South East London SHA   
			 Q08 South West London SHA 0.0  
			 
			 J South East Government Office Region 4.5 6 
			 Q16 Thames Valley SHA 2.5 1 
			 Q17 Hampshire and Isle Of Wight SHA 0.0  
			 Q18 Kent and Medway SHA 14.4 4 
			 Q19 Surrey and Sussex SHA 2.2 1 
			 K South West Government Office Region 1.6 1 
			 D20 Avon, Gloucestershire and Wiltshire SHA 0.0  
			 Q21 South West Peninsula SHA 0.0  
			 Q22 Dorset and Somerset SHA 7.9 1 
		
	
	wte = Whole-time equivalent.
	3 month vacancy notes:
	1. Three month vacancy information is as at 31 March 2004.
	2. Three month vacancies are vacancies which Trusts are actively trying to fill, which had lasted for three months or more (whole-time equivalents).
	3. Three month Vacancy Rates are three month vacancies expressed as a percentage of 3 month vacancies plus staff in post.
	4. 3 month Vacancy Rates are calculated using staff in post from the Vacancy Survey, March 2004.
	5. Percentages are rounded to one decimal place.
	6.  = zero.
	Staff in post notes:
	1. Staff in post data is from the Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2003.
	2.  = zero.
	3. September 2003 staff in post data is not available for radiotherapy physicists.
	General notes:
	1. Vacancy and staff in post numbers are rounded to the nearest whole number.
	2. Calculating the vacancy rates using the above data may not equal the actual vacancy rates.
	3. Due to rounding, totals may not equal the sum of component parts.
	4. Strategic HA figures are based on Trusts, and do not necessarily reflect the geographical provision of healthcare.
	Sources:
	Department of Health Vacancies Survey, March 2004.
	Department of Health Non-Medical Workforce Census, September 2003.

Rheumatoid Arthritis

John Taylor: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make additional resources available to primary care trusts for anti-TNF prescribing for patients with rheumatoid arthritis (a) in Solihull and (b) elsewhere; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Ladyman: In line with our policy to Shift the Balance of Power, responsibility for the funding and delivery of health services now rests with primary care trusts (PCTs) and funding to implement the guidance and recommendations of the National Institute for Clinical Excellence are included within their general allocations.
	The national health service is currently receiving the largest sustained increase in funding in its history. The total of PCT allocations is 49.3 billion for 2O0405 and 53.9 billion for 200506. Over the three years 200304 to 200506 funding will increase by 12.7 billion, or 30.8 per cent.

Royal Berkshire Hospital

Martin Salter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans there are to increase the number of intensive care beds in the Royal Berkshire hospital.

Rosie Winterton: In line with our policy of Shifting the Balance of Power, it is now for primary care trusts (PCTs) in partnership with strategic health authorities and other local stakeholders to plan, develop and improve services for local people. We recognise that health services are better when management is devolved to the frontline. Within the framework set out in the NHS Plan and other policy documents, PCTs, with their specialised knowledge of the local community are effectively able to manage and improve local services.
	I understand that the West Berkshire commissioners approved the addition of one additional intensive care unit bed (ICU) at the Royal Berkshire Hospital on 11 November 2004, with effect from April 2005. This will bring the total number of ICU beds available to nine.

Sexual Health

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effect of the cost of over-the-counter contraceptives on the sexual health of the population.

Melanie Johnson: As part of the White Paper on Public Health, published on 16 November, we will carry out an audit of contraceptive service provision in early 2005 and invest centrally to meet gaps in local services in particular to ensure that the full range of contraceptive services is available, good practice is spread and services modernised. People can choose to purchase some methods of contraception over the counter, namely emergency hormonal contraception; male and female condoms; other female barrier methods; spermicides and fertility devices, but the price charged is a matter for individual pharmacists.

Sexually Transmitted Diseases

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  pursuant to the answer of 15 October 2004, Official Report, column 404W, on sexually transmitted diseases, if he will break down the number of cases by disease diagnosed;
	(2)  how many were sexually transmitted diseases diagnosed in each primary care trust in each year since 1997; and how many patients sought advice, diagnosis or treatment for suspected sexually transmitted diseases in each primary care trust in each year since 1997.

Melanie Johnson: Information showing the number of new diagnoses made at genito-urinary medicine clinics of each sexually transmitted diseases reported for each of the London primary care trusts between 1997 and 2003 has been placed in the Library.
	Data on the patients seeking advice, diagnoses or treatment for suspected sexually transmitted diseases in each primary care trust are not held centrally.

Silzone Heart Valves

Andrew Hunter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library information collated by the UK Heart Valve Registry concerning adverse incidents involving the St. Jude Silzone heart valve.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not held by the Department.

Social Services

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what steps have been taken to improve joint working between the NHS and Social Services in North Staffordshire in respect of care for the elderly.

Stephen Ladyman: Health Act partnership arrangements have been introduced to help break down the barriers between the national health services and local authority services by removing existing constraints in the system and increasing flexibility in the provision and commissioning of services.
	Decisions on how best to improve joint working are taken locally, in response to local conditions.
	Shropshire and Staffordshire Strategic Health Authority reports that two older people's partnership boards have been established to ensure joint working arrangements are robust in North Staffordshire.

Specialist Service Payments

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what safeguards have been put in place by his Department to ensure that specialist services not paid for under Payment by Results will be protected in the eventuality of overspends on services which are covered by the national tariff.

John Hutton: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 3 November 2004, Official Report, column 326W.

Steri-X System

Nick Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Steri-X system in killing pathogenic bacteria, including (a) MRSA, (b) E coli, (c) Legionella pneumophilia Salmonella enteritidis and (d) Pseudomonas aeruginosa; and when the Steri-X system was first added to the NHS list of approved products.

Melanie Johnson: The Department does not assess the efficacy of such products, but we have convened a rapid review panel to review information and evidence relating to claims concerning prevention or control of such infections. The manufacturers/suppliers of Steri-X have been invited to submit their products to the panel.
	The National Health Service Purchasing and Supplies Agency does not have an approved list of products.

Theft and Fraud

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what his estimate is of the cost of theft and fraud to (a) his Department, (b) its agencies and (c) non-departmental public bodies in each year since 1997.

Rosie Winterton: The Department and its agencies have recorded losses, including thefts, to the value of 429,667 in financial years 19972004 to date. The Department takes the protection of its information technology systems and assets very seriously and the its security policy and procedures are kept under constant review. Table 1 shows a breakdown of individual years for the Department and the totals for the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency (MRHA) and the National Health Service Purchasing and Supply Agency.
	
		Table 1
		
			 Financial Year Total losses () 
		
		
			 199798 48,485.00 
			 199899 55,148.00 
			 19992000 45,094.00 
			 200001 56,832.00 
			 200102 70,500.00 
			 200203 66,004.00 
			 200304 56,917.00 
			 200405 to date 25,857.00 
			 PASA200203 2,177.00 
			 PASA200304 2,453.00 
			 MHRA200304 200.00 
			 Total losses 429,667.00 
		
	
	Table 2 shows figures for fraud, provided by the NHS counter fraud and security management service.
	
		Table 2 -- 
		
			 Year Department Agencies Non-departmental public bodies Total 
		
		
			 199798 61,415 1,461 10,458 73,334 
			 199899 66,897 0 6,903 73,800 
			 19992000 48,148 3,493 2,739 54,380 
			 200001 56,831 0 6,582 63,413 
			 200102 34,862 1,706 12,131 48,699 
			 200203 73,892 0 0 73,892 
			 200304 29,082 (43)168,307 22,259 219,648 
		
	
	(43) From MHRAthis includes a stolen cheque for 162,000, which should be reimbursed by the bank. The case is in the hands of their lawyers. This was included in the 200304 Her Majesty's Treasury fraud return.

Tier 2 System

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients are in the Tier 2 system.

Melanie Johnson: This information is not collected by the Department.

Waiting Times

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will list the average waiting time for a first consultant appointment in West Derbyshire in each year since 1997.

Stephen Ladyman: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Median waiting times for first consultant out-patient appointments following general practitioner referral
		
			 Health authority (HA) or primary care trust (PCT) Median wait (weeks) 
		
		
			 199798  
			 North Derbyshire HA 4.96 
			 Southern Derbyshire HA 6.44 
			   
			 199899  
			 North Derbyshire HA 5.29 
			 Southern Derbyshire HA 6.40 
			   
			 19992000  
			 North Derbyshire HA 5.93 
			 Southern Derbyshire HA 6.93 
			   
			 200001  
			 North Derbyshire HA 5.97 
			 Southern Derbyshire HA 6.85 
			   
			 200102  
			 North Derbyshire HA 6.12 
			 Southern Derbyshire HA 7.07 
			   
			 200203  
			 Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT 7.59 
			 High Peak and Dales PCT 5.77 
			   
			 200304  
			 Derbyshire Dales and South Derbyshire PCT 7.52 
			 High Peak and Dales PCT 5.54 
		
	
	Source:
	Department of Health form QM08R.

Wanless Report

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will place in the Library copies of correspondence relating to the Government's activity target to get 70 per cent. of the population reasonably active by 2020, between his Department and the team responsible for the Wanless Report on Securing Good Health for the Whole Population; and if he will make a statement.

Melanie Johnson: There was a close working relationship between the Department and the team responsible for assisting Derek Wanless to produce his report, Securing Good Health for the Whole Population. I cannot, however, make public information, the disclosure of which would harm the frankness and candour of internal discussion between Government officials and independent review teams commissioned by Government, such as that led by Derek Wanless. Exemption 2 (internal discussion and advice) of the open Government code of practice applies.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Renewable Energy Strategy

Andrew MacKay: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions she has held with the Department for Trade and Industry on the Government's renewable energy strategy.

Elliot Morley: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary State for Trade and Industry, has the lead responsibility for renewables and our two Departments are in close contact on this issue.

Organic Fruit Production

Ian Liddell-Grainger: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what financial help her Department provides to organic fruit producers.

Ben Bradshaw: The Department's Organic Farming Scheme (OFS) provides financial assistance to fruit producers to convert to organic production, deliver the environmental benefits organic farming produces and help meet consumer demand for organic food.

Carbon Dioxide Emissions (Target)

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set a target for UK carbon dioxide emissions for 2020.

Elliot Morley: The Government set out their longer-term goal in the Energy White Paper to make real progress by 2020 towards reducing the UK's carbon dioxide emissions by some 60 per cent. by 2050.

Fruit Farming

David Heath: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the application of single farm payments to orchards.

Alun Michael: Traditional orchards, which are generally those with greatest amenity and environmental value, will be eligible for the new CAP Single Payment subject to eligibility criteria that are currently being defined. Commercial orchards will not be eligible for the Single Payment anywhere in the European Union, nor have they ever been eligible for CAP subsidy.

Pesticides and Herbicides

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of residue levels of pesticides and herbicides in fruit and vegetables.

Alun Michael: I am satisfied that our current controls on pesticide residues provide a high level of protection for all consumers.

Waste Management

Chris Grayling: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to reduce waste.

Elliot Morley: Defra is taking a number of steps to reduce waste. These include initiatives by the Waste and Resources Action Programme; additional funding for local authorities through the waste minimisation and recycling fund; and the Envirowise programme of advice to businesses on waste issues.

Dairy Industry

Peter Luff: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she last met representatives of the dairy industry to discuss the price of milk.

Alun Michael: Price negotiations are a private commercial matter in which the Government cannot and should not get involved, provided competition rules are respected. However, Ministers frequently meet representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain and are therefore aware of the issues.

Air Pollution

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to improve air quality.

Alun Michael: The Government policies to improve air quality are set out in the Air Quality Strategy for England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, published in January 2000 and the Addendum to the Air Quality Strategy published in February 2003.

Water Customers (Benefit Payments)

David Heyes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that water customers who are in receipt of benefit who have direct payments deducted from their benefit are eligible for direct debit discounts.

Elliot Morley: If companies were to propose a discount for customers using the direct deductions scheme and could demonstrate that it reflected a cost saving, Ofwat would consider whether to approve this discount.

Single Farm Payments

Norman Lamb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on proposals for cross-compliance in relation to single farm payments.

Alun Michael: My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State, announced the key policy decisions on cross compliance by written statement to the House on 22 July 2004, Official Report, column 69WS.

Animal Cruelty

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cases of animal cruelty have been prosecuted in the courts (a) in England and Wales, (b) in Yorkshire and the Humber and (c) in the City of York in each year since 1994.

Paul Goggins: I have been asked to reply.
	Defendants proceeded against for various offences connected with animal cruelty are shown in the table for England and Wales, Yorkshire and the Humber region and York magistrates court, 1994 to 2002.
	Statistics on court proceedings for 2003 will be published on the 18 November.
	
		Number of defendants(44)proceeded against at magistrates courts for offences relating to animal cruelty, England and Wales 1994 to 2000 -- Number of defendants
		
			 Statute 1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 
		
		
			 Protection of Animals Act, 1 91 1 (as amended) 908 927 967 1,051 1,107 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 8  3 2 8 2 
			 Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925  
			 Protection of Animals Act, 1934 4 2 3 6 4 
			 Docking and Nicking of Horses Act, 1949  
			 Pet Animals Act, 1951 13 7 5 4 7 
			 Cockfighting Act, 1952  
			 Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act, 1954 33 18 18 34 23 
			 Animal Health Act, 1981, Sees 4042, 46 and 49 and Orders made under  Secs 8, 9, 37, 38, 39 and 43 37 49 58 76 87 
			 Slaughterhouses Act, 1 974 3  1  3 
			 Abandonment of Animals Act, 1960, Sec 1 21 18 25 26 36 
			 Animal  Animal Products (Import  Export) Regulations 1988  
			 Animals (Cruel Poisons) Act, 1962 1   1 1 
			 Animal Boarding Establishments Act, 1963  5 4 2 7 
			 Riding Establishments Acts, 1964 and 1970  5 6 1 1 
			 Slaughter of Poultry Act, 1967 4 5 5 6 18 
			 Sees 1 , 2 and 6 32 18 23 10 5 
			 Protection of Badgers Act, 1992 (except Sec 13) 39 41 31 44 19 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 9 7  6 5  
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 1 1 3 6 1 2 3 
			 Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996 * *  7 8 
			 Breeding of Dogs Acts 1973 and 1991 2 2 4 5 5 
			 Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 * * * * * 
			 Diseases of Animals Act 56 48 53 97 103 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Sees 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 17 119 126 203 84 68 
			 Total 1,282 1,280 1,415 1,469 1,507 
		
	
	
		Number of defendants
		
			  1999 2000 2 2001 2002 
		
		
			 Protection of Animals Act, 1 91 1 (as amended) 1,050 1,074 975 1,006 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 8 1 6 3 2 
			 Performing Animals (Regulation) Act 1925 
			 Protection of Animals Act, 1934  1  2 
			 Docking and Nicking of Horses Act, 1949 2 2   
			 Pet Animals Act, 1951 10 19 11 10 
			 Cockfighting Act, 1952 
			 Protection of Animals (Amendment) Act, 1954 25 24 15 15 
			 Animal Health Act, 1981, Sees 4042, 46 and 49 and Orders made under  Sees 8, 9, 37, 38, 39 and 43 56 31 32 39 
			 Slaughterhouses Act, 1 974 4  1 1 
			 Abandonment of Animals Act, 1960, Sec 1 17 26 25 23 
			 Animal and Animal Products (Import and Export) Regulations 1988  4 1 4 
			 Animals (Cruel Poisons) Act, 1962   1  
			 Animal Boarding Establishments Act, 1963 8 11 13 6 
			 Riding Establishments Acts, 1964 and 1970  3 1 1 
			 Slaughter of Poultry Act, 1967 8
			 Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act, 1968, Sees 1 , 2 and 6 15 16 17 5 
			 Protection of Badgers Act, 1992 (except Sec 13) 30 21 9 18 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 9 3  4 4 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act, 1981 Sec 11 4  2 2 
			 Wild Mammals (Protection) Act 1996  5 10 5 
			 Breeding of Dogs Acts 1973 and 1991 5 3 1 2 
			 Breeding and Sale of Dogs (Welfare) Act 1999 *
			 Diseases of Animals Act 72 26 201 113 
			 Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981, Sees 1, 3, 5, 6, 7 and 17 157 96 67 61 
			 Total 1,467 1,368 1,389 1,319 
		
	
	n/a = not applicable
	(44) Principal offence basis.
	(45) Staffordshire Police were only able to submit sample data for persons proceeded against and convicted in the magistrates' courts in 2000. Although sufficient to estimate higher orders of data these data are not robust at a detailed level and have been excluded from this table.

Animal Transportation

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to introduce legislation to (a) stop animal abuse and (b) improve the conditions in which animals are transported.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Animal Welfare Bill

Richard Burden: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the planned timetable is for the introduction of the Animal Welfare Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Animal Welfare Bill

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress in consultation on the draft Animal Welfare Bill.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bees

Anthony Steen: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 9 November, Official Report, column 576W, on bees, how much funding the National Bee Unit will receive for the next financial year.

Alun Michael: Defra and Welsh Assembly Government funding to the National Bee Unit in 200506 is expected to be at the same level as the preceding year.

Bovine TB

James Gray: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many positive reactor cattle subsequently proved to be free of tuberculosis; how their carcass was subsequently disposed of; and how many of them entered the human food chain.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what studies her Department has commissioned into the effectiveness of the examination of deer by (a) stalkers and (b) butchers in identifying cases of bovine TB in culled deer intended for human consumption.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many cattle were slaughtered because of bovine tuberculosis in each year since 1997 in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) Derbyshire.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many confirmed cases of bovine tuberculosis in cattle there have been in the last five years; and what the geographical spread of the disease has been.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) farmed and (b) park deer herds have tested positive for bovine TB in each of the last five years; and how many of those were confirmed by culture or post mortem examination.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what research her Department has commissioned into the effectiveness of the examination of deer at abattoirs in identifying cases of bovine TB infection in venison intended for human consumption.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what prevalence of bovine TB has been detected in culled deer in studies undertaken during the last 20 years.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many incidents of bovine TB in (a) farmed and (b) park deer have been notified as a result of identification at abattoirs in each of the past five years.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the proportion of bovine TB infection in (a) farmed, (b) park and (c) wild deer entering the human food chain that remains undetected by the current statutory reporting procedures.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Bovine TB

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has had regarding bovine TB in deer with her counterparts in the Devolved Administrations.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Burnside Farm

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department was first informed of the existence of a video of Burnside Farm taken by Northumberland Trading Standards officers on 23 February 2001; and when her Department first obtained a copy of the video.

Ben Bradshaw: pursuant to his reply, 9 November 2004, Official Report, c. 577W
	This stated that Defra recently obtained copies of the video when it was referred to in correspondence received by Defra officials on 30 September 2004. Further investigations have revealed that this date was incorrect and Defra first acquired a copy of the video at the beginning of February 2003. Copies of the video were distributed and broadcast publicly at the time of the Waugh trial in May 2002. The rest of the answer remains correct.

Burnside Farm

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on what date a government minister was first informed of the existence of the video of Burnside Farm taken by Northumberland Trading Standards on 24 February 2001.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 15 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

CAP

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what estimate she has made of the percentage of total income constituted by payments under the Common Agricultural Policy for farmers in the UK who receive (a) more than and (b) less than 50,000 euros a year under the Common Agricultural Policy;
	(2)  what estimate she has made of the percentage of farmers in the UK who both receive more than 50,000 euros a year under the Common Agricultural Policy and earn more than 50,000 euros a year from other sources of income.

Alun Michael: As the information requested will take some time to compile, I will write to my hon. Friend with the information shortly. I will place a copy of my letter and the information in the House Library.

CAP

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what further plans she has to advise farmers and land managers on how to adjust to the mid-term review of the common agricultural policy.

Alun Michael: holding answer 15 November 2004
	Officials are in the process of putting in place a 2.7 million contract to support farmers, land managers and advisers in understanding and implementing land-oriented cross compliance measures through the targeted delivery of advice on Statutory Management Requirements and Good Agricultural and Environmental Condition (GAEC). This contract will dovetail with separate advice contracts addressing pollution minimisation and conservation management. In addition, a new Challenge Fund project in 200405, piloting farmer self-help groups to enable them to take ownership of sustainable agriculture issues, will use cross compliance as one of its initial themes. We envisage that the cross compliance advice, which has a delivery window of 200407, will build towards the Farm Advisory System introduced from 2007.
	A new brochure on the scheme, along with a handbook on cross compliance and set-aside rules, is to be distributed in early December.
	We are also currently considering the extent to which the mainstream business advice that can be accessed through the Business Link network may need to be supplemented by specialist advice to assist farm businesses explore the implications of the introduction of the single payment. We will make an announcement as soon as possible.

Carbon Trust

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on collaboration between the Carbon Trust and the Clean Energy Group.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Carbon Trust

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) resource budget, (b) staff numbers and (c) running costs were of the Carbon Trust in 200304.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Climate Change

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the level of detail which she expects from those wishing to take up climate change discounts.

Elliot Morley: Companies forming climate change agreements (CCAs) with the Secretary of State are entitled to receive up to an 80 per cent. rebate on the amount of climate change levy they are required to pay on their energy supplies.
	In order to obtain a CCA, businesses are required to supply information relating to both their production processes, and energy consumption. This information is necessary to determine the scope of the facility and to enable officials to set company specific targets for energy efficiency improvements.
	Small businesses may find that the level of information required in order to join and operate an agreement is such that the associated costs outweigh the financial benefits of participation. However, it is vital that compliance is verifiable, and that the environmental benefits are measurable.

Climate Change

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what action she plans to undertake in response to the report from the Energy Saving Trust and the UK Climate Impact Programme, Forecasting the Future.

Elliot Morley: The joint launch of the report Forecasting the Future and Energy Efficiency Week 2004 highlighted the link between climate change and sustainable energy to consumers and those who construct and manage housing in the UK. Our Energy White Paper last year identified energy efficiency as the safest and most cost-effective way to meet our energy policy goals. A clear framework for improving energy efficiency at an unprecedented level was set out in the Energy Efficiency Action Plan, published in April.
	My Department funds the UK Climate Impacts Programme to help public and private sector organisations understand their vulnerability to the impacts of climate change so that they can develop their own adaptation responses. The report, Forecasting the Future, alongside other publications from this Programme will add to the evidence base available both to stakeholders and to inform policy-making on adaptation.

Cockling

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what plans she has to introduce a licensing system for cockling (a) in Morecambe Bay and (b) elsewhere;
	(2)  what assistance is being offered by her Department to the Lancashire and Cumbria police in their efforts to police organised cockling in Morecambe Bay;
	(3)  what measures her Department has put in place to prevent further deaths of cocklers in Morecambe Bay.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Cockling

Colin Pickthall: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the tonnage of cockles exported from England in the past 12 months; and what estimate she has made of the number of cocklers operating in Morecambe Bay.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Combined Heat and Power

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the member states' national allocation plans and the treatment of combined heat and power.

Elliot Morley: All member states with the exception of Greece have now submitted their National Allocation Plans (NAPs) to the European Commission. Eight of the NAPs, including the UK NAP, were approved in July 2004. A further eight were approved in October 2004. Five of these decisions (including the decision with respect to the UK) were conditional on member states providing additional information. The commission is expected to issue decisions on the remaining eight submitted NAPs by the end of the year or early in the new year.
	The allocation to existing combined heat and power (CHP) installations will be done on the same basis as for other installations. All new and extended CHP installations which come online from 1 January 2004 onwards will be eligible to apply for allowances from the new entry reserve (NER). In addition, the Government have now decided to seek the commission's agreement to extending eligibility to apply to the NER to include significant increases in 'Good Quality' capacity of CHP schemes.

Commencement of Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Alun Michael: Defra came into being on the 8 June 2001. A comprehensive and exhaustive list of Acts of Parliament enacted since November 1974 but not yet brought wholly into in force could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	In relation to any particular Act of Parliament such information is readily available in standard legal texts such as Is it in force? (March 2004) which form part of the Halsbury's Statutes service. This publication is available in the House of Commons Library.
	However I am able to provide the following information which happens to be readily available:
	1991Certain amendments to the Water Resources Act 1991 made by the Environment Act 1995 have not yet come into force.
	2000Parts of the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 including paragraphs 15 of Schedule 7 have not yet come into force.
	2003Those parts of the Water Act 2003 not covered by the commencement Order No. 1 2003 SI No. 641 are not yet in force.

Common Agricultural Policy

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what new proposals she has to aid the economies of developing nations in Africa and Asia through reforms of the Common Agricultural Policy; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Common Agricultural Policy

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of the Common Agricultural Policy was in the United Kingdom to (a) consumers and (b) taxpayers, broken down by agricultural commodity supported by the Common Agricultural Policy in the most recent year for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The UK makes its contributions to the EC Budget as a whole and not to individual categories within it. There is no specific UK contribution to CAP expenditure. The latest EC Budget for 2004 estimates expenditure on CAP to be some 45.7 billion (32.2 billion). After taking account of the UK abatement, the UK share of financing the 2004 EC Budget is around 11.9 per cent.

Common Agricultural Policy

Bill Tynan: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definition her Department uses of (a) fair standard of living and (b) agricultural community in respect of the aims of the common agricultural policy.

Alun Michael: I will write to my hon. Friend with the information requested.

Community Energy

Malcolm Bruce: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether the Community Energy Programme will be extended beyond April 2005.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Contaminated Chocolate

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the storage of chocolate radioactively contaminated following the 1957 Windscale fire.

Elliot Morley: This is not a matter for this Department.

Dairy Farms

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many dairy farms there were in 1997 in West Derbyshire; how many of them have closed since; and how many there were on the latest date for which figures are available.

Alun Michael: The following figures show the number of holdings in West Derbyshire parliamentary constituency where dairy is the predominant activity. They reflect the position in the June of each year and therefore show only the net change.
	
		
			  Dairy holdings 
		
		
			 1997 423 
			 2003 330 
		
	
	Note:
	Figures for 1997 show main holdings only, in 2003 minor holdings are also included.
	Source:
	June Agricultural Census.

Deer Management

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the report, Current and Future Deer Management Options, published in December 2003.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Definitions (Energy)

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what definitions her Department uses of (a) incinerators, (b) thermal treatment plant, (c) combined heat and power and (d) energy from waste.

Elliot Morley: The Waste Framework Directive (WFD) (75/442/EEC as amended by 91/156/EEC and Council Decision 96/350/EC) requires anyone carrying out the waste disposal and recovery operations listed in annexes MA and MB of the directive to do so under the terms of a permit issued by the competent authority. The WFD classifies Incineration on land (D10) as a waste disposal operation; and Use [of waste] principally as a fuel or other means to generate energy (R1) as a waste recovery operation. The distinction between waste disposal and recovery operations is the subject of case law by the European Court of Justice.
	The WFD is supplemented by other legislation, including the Waste Incineration Directive (WID) (2000/76/EC). Article 3(4) of the WID defines incineration plant and in doing so refers to the thermal treatment of wastes and other thermal treatment processes. Draft guidance concerning this definition is to be found in my Department's publication Guidance on Directive 2000/76/EC on the incineration of waste, edition 2, August 2004 which is available on my Department's website.
	Combined heat and power (CHP) is defined as the simultaneous generation of heat and power in a single process. The power output is usually electricity, but may include mechanical power. Heat outputs can include steam, hot water or hot air for process heating, space heating or absorption chilling.
	Energy from waste (EfW) is the general term for all processes that generate energy from the fraction of waste that has calorific value.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for her Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Alun Michael: The Department does not maintain separate records of its expenditure for advertising. The expenditure for publicity by Defra's Communications Directorate includes marketing, advertising, publications, events, shows and direct mailings and is recorded for the financial years since Defra's creation in June 2001 as follows:
	
		
			   million 
		
		
			 200102 6.6 
			 200203 4.7 
			 200304 2.5 
		
	
	This includes communications on a wide range of matters, much of it necessary or beneficial to the public and the wide range of industries in which Defra has an interest, together with local government, voluntary organisations and other bodies.

Departmental Consultants

Brian Jenkins: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much the Department spent on outside information technology and communication specialists, consultants and engineers in the 200304 financial year.

Alun Michael: This information is not held centrally within the Department and it has not been possible to obtain this on the grounds of disproportionate cost.

Departmental Estate

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the properties occupied by (a) her Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004; and what the (A) area and (B) annual rental value (1) in aggregate and (2) in each case was in each year.

Alun Michael: Defra was not created until 2001. A list of properties for 2004, as requested is tabled as follows.
	
		Occupied core Defra and Defra agencies sites (including mixed)showing area and rent
		
			 Address l Address 2 Address 3 Town County Postcode 
		
		
			 Fish Lab Stores Units 712 Pinbush Drive Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 7NL 
			 Vic Kendal Road Harlescott  Shrewsbury Shropshire SY1 4HD 
			 Vic The Elms College Road Sutton Bonnington Loughborough Notts LE12 5RB 
			 The Nothe Barrack Road  Weymouth Dorset DT4 8UB 
			 Vic Langford House Langford Road  Langford Bristol BS40 5HY 
			 Badger Research Unit 1 Easter Park Cottage  Nympsfield Gloucestershire GL10 3UJ 
			 Staplake Mount Starcross  Exeter Devon EX6 8PE 
			 Fish Laboratories Remembrance Avenue  Burnham-On-Crouch Essex CMO 8HA 
			 Fisheries Laboratory Pakefield Road  Lowestoft Suffolk NR33 0HT 
			 North Quay Lowestoft Docks Commercial Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 2TD 
			 Fish Quay Portakabin Fish Quay Battery Green Road Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 1DD 
			 Victhirsk West House Station Road Thirsk N Yorks YO7 1PZ 
			 Radiobiological Lab The Harbour West Pier Whitehaven Cumbria CA28 7LY 
			 VLA Merrythought Penrith  Calthwaite Cumbria CA11 9RR 
			 46 Fore Street Newlyn  Penzance Cornwall TR18 5JR 
			 Vic Longbenton Whitley Road Longbenton Newcastle Tyne and Wear NE12 9SE 
			 Vic Rougham Hill   Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 2RX 
			 Central Science Lab Sand Hutton  York N Yorks YO41 1LZ 
			 Elvet House Halgarth Street  Durham Durham DH1 3AT 
			 The Elms (Cat III Unit) College Road Loughborough Notts LE12 5RB 
			 Manor Farm Cottages Luddington Vic  Stratford Upon Avon Warwick CV37 9SJ 
			 Chorley West Business 1 Unit 6 Ackhurst Road Chorley Lancs PR7 1NL 
			 Vic Jobs Well Lane   Carmarthen Carmarthen  
			 Vic Buarth Rd   Aberystwyth Cereidgion SY23 1ND 
			 Chapel Bank Works Curwen Road  Workington Cumbria CA14 
			 Coniston Buildings 55 Adams Road  Workington Cumbria CA14 3YS 
			 Sea Life Centre Lodmoor Country Park  Weymouth Dorset DT4 7SX 
			 Unit 7 West Cumbria Business Pk  Workington Cumbria  
			 Thistledown Farm Nympsfield Road Nympsfield Gloucester Gloucestershire GL10 3UL 
			 Westmoreland Lane Farm Crooklands  Milnthorpe Cumbria LA7 7NH 
			 Springfield Nursery Unit 10 Site 13 Springfield Ind Est Burnham On Crouch Essex CMO 8TE 
			 Kings House 33 Kings Road  Reading Berkshire RG1 3AR 
			 40 Caversham Road   Reading Berkshire RG1 7BJ 
			 North Gate House 2123 Valpy Street  Reading Berkshire RG1 1RN 
			 Lancaster House Hampshire Court  Newcastle-upon-Tyne Tyne and Wear NE4 7YE 
			 Paddock Road Unit 4D Industrial Estate Reading Berkshire RG4 0BY 
			 St John's House St. John's Square  Wolverhampton W Midlands WV2 4AX 
			 Suite 11 Derwentside 25 Town Street Duffield Derby DE56 4EH 
			 62a The Strand   Newlyn Cornwall TR18 5HW 
			 Stockbridge Tech Centre   Cawood N Yorks YO8 0NU 
			 2a Market Street   Carlisle Cumbria CA3 8QJ 
			 Hyperion House First Floor Unit 2 The Oaks Newmarket Suffolk CB8 7LG 
			 15 West Pier   Scarborough N Yorks YO11 1PD 
			 24 West Pier   Scarborough N Yorks YO11 1PD 
			 132 Warkworth Woods Gosforth  Newcastle Tyne And Wea NE3 5RD 
			 Polwhele Workshop  Truro Cornwall TR4 9AD 
			 North Pier The Harbour  Newlyn Cornwall TR18 5JR 
			 Unit161/4b Willowtree Ind Est  Alnwick Northumberland NE66 2PF 
			 Mac Stoneleigh Stoneleigh  Kenilworth Warwick CV8 2LZ 
			 New Fish Quay The Quay  Brixham Devon TQ5 8AW 
			 The Custom House 3rd Floor (Rooms 1013) 1 Old Market Place Whitby N Yorks YO21 3BT 
			 Harbour Commis Office Warkworth Harbour Quayside Amble Northumberland NE65 0AP 
			 Government Buildings Cop Lane Penwortham Preston Lancs PR1 0SZ 
			 Woodthorne Wergs Road  Wolverhampton W Midlands WV6 8TQ 
			 Princess House Queen Street 2nd Floor Barnstaple Devon EX32 8HJ 
			 Block A Reading Rsc Government Buildings Coley Park Reading Berkshire RG1 6OS 
			 100 Southgate Street Government Buildings  Bury St Edmunds Suffolk IP33 2AF 
			 Chequers Court St Germaine Street  Huntingdon Cambridge PE18 6LT 
			 Vancouver House County Court Road  Kings Lynn Norfolk PE30 5EJ 
			 Middlecott House 2224 Willington Road Kirton Boston Lincolnshire PE20 1EH 
			 Wrest Park Mech and Farm Waste Unit  Silsoe Bedfordshire MK45 4DP 
			 Windsor House Cornwall Road  Harrogate N Yorks HG1 2PW 
			 Government Buildgs Lee Otley Road Lawnswood Leeds W Yorks LS16 5PY 
			 10 Whitehall Place Wpe (East Block)  Westminster London Hq SW1A 2HD 
			 Eastbury House 30/34 Albert Embankment  Lambeth London Hq SE1 7TL 
			 Nobel House 17 Smith Square  Westminster London Hq SW1P 3HX 
			 Ergon House 17 Smith Square  Westminster London Hq SW1P 3JR 
			 Smithfield Market Units D1 and D2 Openshaw Manchester Gt Manchester M11 2JW 
			 Stanley Market Edge Lane  Liverpool Merseyside L13 2EB 
			 26 London Street Bradley Chambers  Fleetwood Lancs FY7 6JG 
			 Wyre Dock Portakabin   Fleetwood Lancs FY7 6NN 
			 Svs Poole Inspectors Office Ferry Terminal Poole Dorset  
			 Svs Wildlife Unit Aston Down  Stroud Gloucestershire GL6 8HT 
			 Bristol Fruit Centre Admin Block Albert Crescent St Phillips Marsh Bristol BS2 0YQ 
			 Allen House 14/19 Allen House 23 Sherrin Rd Leyton London Hq E10 5SQ 
			 Western Intntnal Mrkt Unit 1C Mkt Centre Hayes Road Southall Gtr London UB2 5XJ 
			 Building 333 Timberham House  (Rm 121) Gatwick Airport Crawley West Sussex RH6 ONN 
			 Merevale House 4246 London Road  Tunbridge Wells Kent TN1 1DN 
			 Baltic Chambers 2 Waveney Road  Lowestoft Suffolk NR32 1BN 
			 Whitehouse Lane Huntingdon Road  Cambridge Cambridge CB3 0LF 
			 The Portakabin St. James Market Essex Street Bradford W Yorks BD4 7PG 
			 103 Northgate The Headland  Hartlepool N Yorkshire TS24 0JX 
			 19/20/28 West Pier   Scarborough N Yorks YO11 1PD 
			 NE WH Fruit Veg Market Admin Block Team Valley Trad Est Gateshead Tyne  Wear NE11 0RG 
			 Tamar Business Park Pennygillam Ind Estate Unit 34 Launceston Cornwall PL157NX 
			 1929 Woburn Place 3  4th Floors  Bloomsbury London Hq WC1H 0LU 
			 Building 104 Second Floor Port of Sheerness Sheerness Kent ME12 1RS 
			 Room 11 Building 305 Cargo Centre Manchester Manchester M90 SPY 
			 3rd Floor, Trinity Court Trinity Court 37 Southernhay East Exeter Devon EX1 
			 Fish Market Rock A Nore Road  Hastings East Sussex TN34 SOW 
			 Units Thornfield Business Park Standard Way Ind Estate Northallerton N Yorks DL6 2XQ 
			 Eastern Docks Freight Services Bldg  Dover Kent CT16 1JA 
			 Kings Pool Foss House 12 Peasholme Green York N Yorks Y01 7PX 
			 Lumford Mill Riverside Walk  Bakewell Derby DE45 1DA 
			 Sutton Harbour Fisheries Office Fish Quay Plymouth Devon PL4 0LH 
			 Piplers Building Fisheries Office The Quay Poole Dorset BH15 1HP 
			 Neville House Liddell Street  North Shields Tyne and Wear NE30 1HN 
			 St Clare House Princes Street Greyfriars Ipswich Suffolk IP1 1LW 
			 Hadrian House 6 Wavell Drive Rosehill Business Park Carlisle Cumbria CA1 2ST 
			 Copthall House Station Square  Coventry W Midlands CV1 2FA 
			 Office Suite 3 St Andrews House Opposite 22 Berth Tilbury Essex RM18 7HX 
			 Liberty House 105 Bell Street  Reigate Surrey RH2 TAN 
			 Llanishen Govt. Buildings Tyglas Cardiff Cardiff CF14 5ZB 
			 Cathays Park Crown Buildings  Cardiff Cardiff CF1 3NQ 
			 Caernarfon Crown Buildings North Penrallt Caernarfon Gwynedd LL55 1EP 
			 Picton Terrace Crown Buildings  Carmarthen Carmarthenshire SA31 3BT 
			 Llandrindod Crown Buildings Spa Road East Llandrindod Wells Powys LD1 5HA 
			 Macon Court 1 Macon Court Macon Way Crewe Cheshire CW1 6DG 
			 Continental Ferry Port Porta Cabin George Byng Way Portsmouth Hampshire P02 8SP 
			 Tileworks Office Block Suite B Whitestone Business Withington Herefordshire HR1 3RY 
			 Estuary House Wharncliffe Road  Grimsby Lincolnshire DN31 3QL 
			 1a Page Street   Westminister London Hq SW1P 4PQ 
			 Building 46 Channel Tunnel Terminal Coquelles Coquelles France  
			 King George Dock Albert Dock  Hull Yorks E R HU1 2ND 
			 Room 516 Trelawny House The Dock Felixstowe Suffolk IP11 8SB 
			 46 Ponton Road Vauxhall  Lambeth London Hq SW8 5AX 
			 City Business Centre Basin Road  Chichester West Sussex PO19 8DU 
			 Unit 12 St Georges Business Cen' St Georges Square Portsmouth Hampshire PO1 3EZ 
			 Unit 3 The Barn Centre Alexandra Road Aberystwyth Cereidgion SY23 1LF 
			 Units 3, 4 and 5 Hanover Court Manaton Close Exeter Devon EX2 8QJ 
			 Unit 1 Epps Building Epps Building Bridge Road Ashford Kent TN23 1QA 
			 First Floor Unit 2 Manor Grove Business Peterborough Cambridge PE1 5UH 
			 Alexandra House Lawnswood Park  Leeds W Yorks LS16 6QY 
			 Animal Reception The Residence 749 Beacon Road Heathrow London Hq TW6 3JF 
			 Part First Floor Richmond House Walkern Road Stevenage Old Town Hertford SG1 3QP 
			 Pembroke Ferry Terming Portacabin The Dockyard Pembroke Pembrokeshire SA73 3AN 
			 The Palace Building Second Floor The Palace Building Truro Cornwall TR1 2HE 
			 Unit 2 Thornfield Bus Pk Standard Way Ind Estate  Northallerton N Yorks DL6 2XQ 
			 Riverside Chambers Castle Street  Taunton Somerset TA1 4AP 
			 Hamilton House Parkeston Quay Rooms G8  G9 Harwich Essex C012 4QA 
			 The Seaways Commercial Road  Penryn Cornwall TR10 8AQ 
			 Millbay Docks Portacabin  Plymouth Devon PL1 3EF 
			 Town Quay Unit 6 Town Quay Medina Chambers Southampton Hampshire SO14 2AQ 
			 Cromwell House Dean Stanley Street  Westminster London Hq SW1P 3JG 
			 Jordan House East Hall Court Hall Park Way Telford Shropshire TF3 4NF 
			 Estuary House Peninsula Park Rydon Lane Exeter Devon EX2 7XB 
			 Barnwood Park Unit 1 Saw Mills End Barnwood Gloucestershire GL4 3DE 
			 9 Millbank   Westminster London Hq SW1P 3JA 
			 Beacon House Unit G University Court Plots D  E Stafford Staffordshire ST18 0GU 
			 3 Lower House Farm Bar Long Lane  Throckmorton Worcs. WR10 2JX 
			 Fish Hall Office 8 and 9 North Harbour Whitehaven Cumbria CA28 7XY 
			 Temple Quay House 2 The Square Temple Quay Bristol Bristol BS1 6EB 
			 Ashdown House 123 Victoria Street  Victoria London Hq SW1E 6DE 
			 Quadrant House Newburn Riverside  Newcastle Tyne and Wear NE15 8NZ 
			 Quadrant House Newburn Riverside  Newcastle Tyne and Wear NE15 8NZ 
			 Crimscott Street Unit 2 Rich Ind. Est. Crimscott Street Southwark London Hq SE1 5TE 
			 Pilots Watch House Basin Road South  Portslade East Sussex BN41 1WD 
			 Heysham Sea Link Sea Terminal Morecombe Lancs LA3 2XF 
			 Eastbrook Shaftesbury Road  Cambridge Cambridge CB2 2DU 
			 45 Waterloo Crescent First Floor Offices  Dover Kent CT16 1LA 
			 Western Intntnal Mrkt Unit 9a Mrkt Centre Hayes Road Uxbridge Gtr London UB2 5XJ 
			 Unit B2 The Waterfront Newburn Riverside  Newcastle Tyne and Wear NE15 8NZ 
			 AONB The Old Post Office Shrewsbury Road Craven Arms Shropshire LA7 7NH 
			 40/41 The Fish Quay Unit 2  North Shields Tyne and Wear NE30 1JA 
			   
			 Vic Barton Hall Barton Hall Garstang Road Preston Lancs PR3 SHE 
			 Vic Truro Truro Road Polwhele Truro Cornwall TR4 9AD 
			 Cvl Woodham Lane Woodham Lane New Haw Addlestone Surrey KT15 3NB 
			 Blocks 6 and 7 Government Buildings Chalfont Drive Nottingham Notts NG8 3SN 
			 Whitehall Monkmoor Road  Shrewsbury Shropshire SY2 5AJ 
			 Government Buildings Whittington Road  Worcester Worcestershire WR5 2LQ 
			 Government Buildings Burghill Road  Westbury On Trym Bristol BS10 6NJ 
			 Prince of Wales Road   Dorchester Dorset DT1 1PY 
			 Quantock House Paul Street  Taunton Somerset TA1 3PF 
			 Pydar House Pydar Street  Truro Cornwall TR1 2XD 
			 Medwyn House Mountfield Road  Lewes East Sussex BN7 2XP 
			 Cromwell House 15 Andover Road  Winchester Hampshire SO23 7EN 
			 Beeches Road Government Buildings  Chelmsford Essex CM1 2RU 
			 Ceres House 2 Searby Road  Lincoln Lincolnshire LN2 4DW 
			 122A Thorpe Road   Norwich Norfolk NR1 1RT 
			 Lion House Willowburn Trading Esta  Alnwick Northumberland NE6 62PF 
			 Crosskill House Mill Lane  Beverley E R of York HU17 9JB 
			 Edenbridge House Lowther Street  Carlisle Cumbria CA3 8DX 
			 Alverton Court Crosby Road  Northallerton N Yorks DL6 1AD 
			 Agricola House Gilwilly Trading Estate  Penrith Cumbria CA11 9BU 
			 Longacre House Frome Road  Trowbridge Wiltshire BA14 0DQ 
			 Vic Itchen Abbas Itchen Abbas  Winchester Hampshire S021 1BX 
			 Olantigh Road Wye  Ashford Kent TN25 SEW 
			 Government Buildings Beaumont House  Cliftonville Northampton NN1 5BE 
			 Clyst House Winslade Park Clyst House Exeter Devon EX5 1DY 
			 Crewe Business Park Electra Way  Crewe Cheshire CW1 6GJ 
			 Saffron House Tigers Road Off Saffron Road South Wigston Leicestershire LE18 4UY 
			 Albion Place 2nd Floor 68 Albion Place Maidstone Kent ME14 5DY 
			 Blenheim Office Park Unit 11  Long Hanborough Oxfordshire OX29 8RZ 
		
	
	
		
			 Address l Total area Sq.I Rent () Core/Agency 
		
		
			 Fish Lab Stores 1,903.5 67,500 A 
			 Vic Kendal Road 1,425.8  A 
			 Vic The Elms 1,632 33,000 A 
			 The Nothe 2,609 20 A 
			 Vic Langford House 593 4 A 
			 Badger Research Unit 14.9 4,000 A 
			 Staplake Mount 4,383.4  A 
			 Fish Laboratories 1,707.2 173 A 
			 Fisheries Laboratory 9,556.4 1,450 A 
			 North Quay 136.6 9,000 A 
			 Fish Quay Portakabin 24.7 1,605 A 
			 Victhirsk 857.5  A 
			 Radiobiological Lab 95.8 540 A 
			 VLA Merrythought 742.4 5,730 A 
			 46 Fore Street 71.6 1,702.13 A 
			 Vic Longbenton 1,354.6  A 
			 Vic Rougham Hill 1,535  A 
			 Central Science Lab 29,100 10 A 
			 Elvet House 37.11 1,388.88 A 
			 The Elms 236 4,000 A 
			 Manor Farm Cottages 1,587  A 
			 Chorley West Business 1 185.8 18,000 A 
			 Vic Jobs Well Lane 865.7 0 A 
			 Vic Buarth Rd 618.3 5 A 
			 Chapel Bank Works 4,034  A 
			 Coniston Buildings 267.83 8,652 A 
			 Sea Life Centre 580 5,000 A 
			 Unit 7 957.8 28,500 A 
			 Thistledown Farm 385 10,000 A 
			 Westmoreland Lane Farm 22.3 2,600 A 
			 Springfield Nursery 130 4,200 A 
			 Kings House 6,679.47 1,275,000 A 
			 40 Caversham Road 2,034.6 286,288 A 
			 North Gate House 5,959.45 1,397,500 A 
			 Lancaster House 5,340.2 663,140 A 
			 Paddock Road 876.08 40,000 A 
			 St. John's House 272.03 13,400 A 
			 Suite 11  3,600 A 
			 62a The Strand  5,199.96 A 
			 Stockbridge Tech Centre 36 3,950 A 
			 2a Market Street 113.37 5,500 A 
			 Hyperion House 450.86 72,795 A 
			 15 West Pier 17.19 1,225 A 
			 24 West Pier 72.89 720 A 
			 132 Warkworth Woods 85  A 
			  89,587.38 3,975,397.97 Subtotal 
			 
			 Polwhele 256.9  C 
			 North Pier 5.6 200 C 
			 Unit161/4b 130.4 5,700 C 
			 Mac Stoneleigh 612 24,100 C 
			 New Fish Quay 100.1 6,800 C 
			 The Custom House 48.4 1,200 C 
			 Harbour Commis Office 31.7 1,900 C 
			 Government Buildings 53.6 6,944.81 C 
			 Woodthorne 1,112.33 56,379.16 C 
			 Princess House 45.1 9,241.34 C 
			 Block A Reading Rsc 4,559.1 2,922.36 C 
			 100 Southgate Street 2,678.71  C 
			 Chequers Court 2,945.7 136,400 C 
			 Vancouver House 278.3 15,753.88 C 
			 Middlecott House 786.32 12,000 C 
			 Wrest Park 15.25 1,845 C 
			 Windsor House 234.9 35,500 C 
			 Government Buildgs Lee 3,317.33 331,320.12 C 
			 10 Whitehall Place Wpe 7,189.7 2,740 C 
			 Eastbury House 3,289 675,000 C 
			 Nobel House 13,513 4,548,000 C 
			 Ergon House 8,286.63 2,809,762 C 
			 Smithfield Market 43.8 2,019.5 C 
			 Stanley Market 55.7 550 C 
			 26 London Street 139.2 6,500 C 
			 Wyre Dock Portakabin 11.9 1,295 C 
			 Svs Poole 18.7 250 C 
			 Svs Wildlife Unit 650  C 
			 Bristol Fruit Centre 16.8 6,000 C 
			 Allen House 42 5,874 C 
			 Western Intntnal Mrkt 18.7 2,230 C 
			 Building 333 27.22 2,208 C 
			 Merevale House 209.61 30,505.68 C 
			 Baltic Chambers 132.9 8,000 C 
			 Whitehouse Lane 766 1 C 
			 The Portakabin 7.9 100 C 
			 103 Northgate 36.4 2,800 C 
			 19/20/28 West Pier 72.89 2,730 C 
			 NE WH Fruit Veg Market 31.4 2,250 C 
			 Tamar Business Park 259 10,480 C 
			 1929 Woburn Place 2,227.7 841,932.35 C 
			 Building 104 40.7 4,349 C 
			 Room 11 37.5 2,550 C 
			 3rd Floor, Trinity Court 142.3 18,800 C 
			 Fish Market 146 8,125 C 
			 Units 170 15,000 C 
			 Eastern Docks 28 3,325 C 
			 Kings Pool 13,214 728,000 C 
			 Lumford Mill 49.5 8,500 C 
			 Sutton Harbour 196 18,375 C 
			 Piplers Building 155.05 12,950 C 
			 Neville House 102.47 13,250 C 
			 St. Clare House 93.1 7,862.8 C 
			 Hadrian House 792 79,460 C 
			 Copthall House 252.66 11,687 C 
			 Office Suite 3 30.19 4,250 C 
			 Liberty House 971.93 225,000 C 
			 Llanishen 607.7 42,021.28 C 
			 Cathays Park 129.6 7,416.64 C 
			 Caernarfon 291.75 0 C 
			 Picton Terrace 362.26  C 
			 Llandrindod 119.98 28,540.32 C 
			 Macon Court 111.88 12,250 C 
			 Continental Ferry Port 12.3  C 
			 Tileworks Office Block 68.97 4,500 C 
			 Estuary House 321 7,350 C 
			 1a Page Street 11,183 2,335,020 C 
			 Building 46 47.9  C 
			 King George Dock 12.5 1,712 C 
			 Room 516 24.34 2,850 C 
			 46 Ponton Road 1,062 88,125 C 
			 City Business Centre 112 11,600 C 
			 Unit 12 65  C 
			 Unit 3 92.05 8,000 C 
			 Units 3, 4 and 5 761 34,650 C 
			 Unit 1 Epps Building 100.12 7,007 C 
			 First Floor 21.24 1,624.12 C 
			 Alexandra House 28.98 5,678.63 C 
			 Animal Reception 62.71 9,500 C 
			 Part First Floor 234.58 27,775 C 
			 Pembroke Ferry Terming 11.52 591.1 C 
			 The Palace Building 328.69 18,000 C 
			 Unit 2 Thornfield Bus Pk 170 15,000 C 
			 Riverside Chambers 859.38 53,230 C 
			 Hamilton House 41.8 3,600 C 
			 The Seaways 130.06 4,750 C 
			 Millbay Docks 25 1,000 C 
			 Town Quay 87.05 13,500 C 
			 Cromwell House 2,472.6 1,020,000 C 
			 Jordan House East 267 28,750 C 
			 Estuary House 747 84,420 C 
			 Barnwood Park 2,011.8 262,000 C 
			 9 Millbank 4,911.51  C 
			 Beacon House 974.9 130,004 C 
			 3 Lower House Farm Bar 130  C 
			 Fish Hall 45 3,500 C 
			 Temple Quay House 2,211.2 660,618 C 
			 Ashdown House 9,776.62 3,736,600 C 
			 Quadrant House 2,431 346,536 C 
			 Quadrant House 2,431 346,536 C 
			 Crimscott Street 1,254 74,250 C 
			 Pilots Watch House 41 9,000 C 
			 Heysham 18.1  C 
			 Eastbrook 12,374  C 
			 45 Waterloo Crescent 143 23,000 C 
			 Western Intntnal Mrkt 17 2,985 C 
			 Unit B2 The Waterfront 311 16,126.25 C 
			 AONB   C 
			 40/41 The Fish Quay 34 1,000 C 
			  130,767.38 20,261,534.3 Subtotal 
			 
			 Vic Barton Hall 2,122.16  C/A 
			 Vic Truro 1,197.43  C/A 
			 Cvl Woodham Lane 2,8128.1  C/A 
			 Blocks 6 And 7 4,099.65 137,831 C/A 
			 Whitehall 478.6 73,409.47 C/A 
			 Government Buildings 9,957.3 1,370.2 C/A 
			 Government Buildings 12,367.84 362.5 C/A 
			 Prince of Wales Road 1,654.7 25 C/A 
			 Quantock House 4,516.98  C/A 
			 Pydar House 3,561.8  C/A 
			 Medwyn House 24 4,651.78 C/A 
			 Cromwell House 150.9 18,683.8 C/A 
			 Beeches Road 881.3 0 C/A 
			 Ceres House 2,484.5 4,725 C/A 
			 122athorperoad 2,433.2 315,000 C/A 
			 Lion House 1,606.4  C/A 
			 Crosskill House 2,137.77  C/A 
			 Edenbridge House 3,354.27  C/A 
			 Alverton Court 5,050.91 141,161 C/A 
			 Agricola House 339.28 1,800 C/A 
			 Longacre House 325.11  C/A 
			 Vic Itchen Abbas 1,676  C/A 
			 Olantigh Road 555.1 34,500 C/A 
			 Government Buildings 222.6 28,540.3 C/A 
			 Clyst House 6,366.01 650,000 C/A 
			 Crewe Business Park 3,896.6  C/A 
			 Saffron House 786.82  C/A 
			 Albion Place 171.6 15,700 C/A 
			 Blenheim Office Park 335.37 46,930 C/A 
			  100,882.3 1,474,690.05 Subtotal 
			  3,212,327.06 25,711,622.3 Total

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by her Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Alun Michael: The Communications Directorate of the Department undertakes publications, events, and shows for communication on a wide range of matters, much of it necessary or beneficial to the public and the wide range of industries in which Defra has an interest, together with local government, voluntary organisations and other bodies. We currently do not have a system for recording any funding or sponsorship from commercial bodies centrally but we are considering how this can be done.

Dog Fouling

Mark Tami: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people were fined for offences involving dog fouling in the last year.

Alun Michael: Last year local authorities issued 2,742 fixed penalties for dog fouling offences.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the European Commission's recovery plan to save cod from extinction in the North sea and other fishing grounds around the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: The International Council for the Exploration of the Seas has published its advice to the European Commission on the current state of the cod stocks around the UK, taking into account of the EU measures already taken to restore the stocks.
	The Commission is now considering what regulations to propose for 2005 under the EU cod recovery plan, covering limits on both permitted landings of cod, and the permitted time at sea by vessels which catch cod.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the cod by-catch from beam trawlers fishing for sole in the Eastern Irish Sea was in the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: Information is only available on the proportion that cod made up of total landings by UK fishing vessels of fish caught in the Irish sea, as opposed to total catches of fish, and this is given as follows. The figures relate to activity by UK fishing vessels over 10 m in length. They represent the average levels over the year, and there is considerable variability seen between individual vessels and individual months of the year.
	The information does not include any fish that may have been caught and then discarded before landing. Research was carried out in 2000 looking at the level of catches using beam trawl gear, which showed that cod made up on average 6 to 13 per cent. of catches using beam trawl gear in the Irish sea.
	
		
			  Average percentage of cod in landings by UK over 10 m long vessels caught using beam trawl when fishing in the Irish sea on trips landing sole 
		
		
			 1993 7 
			 1994 4 
			 1995 4 
			 1996 3 
			 1997 6 
			 1998 7 
			 1999 6 
			 2000 1 
			 2001 4 
			 2002 4 
			 2003 3

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the (a) quota allocations and (b) landings for cod for the (i) Belgian, (ii) French and (iii) Irish fleets operating in the Eastern Irish Sea were for the last 10 years for which figures are available.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Eastern Irish Sea Fishery

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what the estimated level of discards were from the beam trawler fleet operating in the Eastern Irish Sea for the last 10 years for which figures are available;
	(2)  what assessment she has made of the effects of the use of 80mm mesh cod ends on the level of by-catch of other species in a mixed fishery in the Eastern Irish Sea, with particular reference to cod and plaice.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Emissions Trading

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on how the European Emissions Trading Scheme will apply to (a) aviation and (b) shipping.

Elliot Morley: Phase 1 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, due to commence in January 2005, will not cover emissions from aviation or shipping. The Government is currently considering options for increasing the scope of the scheme for Phase 2 including, for example, emissions from other transport sectors. As outlined in the 2003 Air Transport White Paper, The Future of Air Transport, the Government is actively pursuing the inclusion of intra-EU aviation in the EU ETS, and this will be a priority for the UK presidency of the EU in 2005. If the UK is successful, it is hoped that intra-EU aviation could be included within the second phase of the EU ETS, beginning in 2008.

Emissions Trading

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the Government's emissions target level is, in terms of the National Allocation Plan for EU emissions trading; and what plans she has to change the target.

Elliot Morley: The Government announced on 27 October that, subject to European Commission approval, the total quantity of allowances to be issued to UK installations in Phase 1 of the EU Emissions Trading Scheme, which will run from 200507, will be set at 756.1 million tonnes CO 2 or 'allowances'. Subject to Commission approval, there are no further plans to change the figures for Phase 1, as these figures have now been finalised. The total quantity for the second phase (200812) will be considered as part of the Climate Change Programme Review.

Environmental Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many prosecutions resulted in (a) convictions and (b) custodial sentences in each year since 1999 for offences related to (i) water resources (ii) flood defences, (iii) fisheries, (iv) navigation, (v) process industry regulation, (vi) radioactive substances, (vii) waste and (viii) water quality as recorded in the National Enforcement Database; and what the average fines were where custodial sentences were awarded (A) in total and (B) broken down by region.

Alun Michael: The information available is given in the following table.
	
		Environment AgencySuccessful Prosecutions, Calendar Years 19992004Date of report: 17 November 2004
		
			  1999 (April to December) 2000 2001 2002 2003 2004 (January to October) 
		
		
			 Fisheries 0 27 22 48 34 28 
			 Flood defence 2 1 2 1 5 9 
			 Navigation 3 6 3 15 32 20 
			 PIR 6 12 7 3 5 1 
			 RAS 3 3 11 1 3 2 
			 Water quality 177 219 234 220 167 154 
			 Water Resources 6 21 10 11 6 15 
			 Waste 246 408 471 498 406 374

Environmental Offences

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many (a) prosecutions, (b) cautions and (c) enforcement notices there have been in each year since 1995 brought by the Drinking Water Inspectorate (i) in total and (ii) broken down by region.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Energy Efficiency

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish the study funded by her Department into health improvements for families and individuals whose homes have benefited from energy efficiency improvements under the Warm Front.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Energy Efficiency

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many homes in Manchester, Withington have benefited from the Home Energy Efficiency and Warm Front Schemes.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the Greek presidency of the EU the Management Committee on application of the Directive on the standardisation and rationalisation of reports on the implementation of certain Directives relating to the environment met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: There were no Management Committee meetings on this issue during the Greek presidency. The Management Committee on the application of the 'Standardised Reporting' Directive (91/692/EEC) last met in 1997. In 2002 the commission started work on a new framework for environmental reporting in response to the 6th Environment Action Programme. An Expert Group was set up to discuss commission proposals for a Directive. This group last met in October 2002. There is as yet no formal proposal for a Directive, and no management committee has been convened. In the event of any meeting being scheduled, officials will, as a matter of course, liaise with their counterparts in the Scottish Executive and the other Devolved Administrations.

EU Committees

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many times during the Greek Presidency of the EU the Committee (a) for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the Directive on conservation of wild birds and (b) on the Community action programme in the field of civil protection met; when and where these meetings took place; which UK Government expert was present at each meeting; what (i) technical and (ii) financial issues were raised by the UK Government expert at each meeting; what recommendations the Committee produced during that period; what actions were (A) proposed and (B) taken by (1) the EU and (2) the UK Government as a result of the Committee's recommendations; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) The Committee for the adaptation to technical and scientific progress of the Directive on conservation of wild birds (the ORNIS Committee) met once during the Greek Presidency, on 26 June 2003 in Brussels. UK representation comprised one official from my Department and one official from the Scottish Executive, together with a scientific adviser from the Joint Nature Conservation Committee. The main agenda items considered were:
	Commission's Sustainable Hunting Initiative: the Commission presented its draft guidance document on interpretation of the Birds Directive, pending further consideration of a key chapter.
	Article 4 (Special Protection Areas): member states provided updates on completing the Special Protection Area network and were updated by the Commission on progress regarding action plans for Annex I species.
	Update on EU enlargement preparations: including agreement that future Annexes to the Directive should comprise scientific names only (given the difficulty of including common names in the increasing numbers of languages), and on timeframes for implementation of the Directive as well as monitoring and peer review exercise for Accession countries.
	Other information points, including reporting by member states under Articles 9 and 12 of the Directive, management of the cormorant, information systems for NATURA 2000 and collaboration with the African Eurasian Waterbird Agreement (AEWA). The UK also highlighted recent work in relation to the ruddy duck and sought supportive action in other member states.
	As a consequence of discussions at the meeting, the EU has subsequently published its guidance document on hunting on its website and, with the Government of the Netherlands, is organising a major conference in November to celebrate 25 years of the Birds Directive. The Conference will confirm the extent and coherence of the network of Special Protection Areas for Birds and further develop work on bird monitoring, indicators and reporting. The Commission has also recently invited the Council to consider its proposal to ratify the African-Eurasian Waterbird Agreement.
	(b) The Committee on the Community Action Programme met twice during the Greek Presidency, on 27 February and 16 June 2003 in Brussels. UK representation comprised one official from the Cabinet Office at the February meeting. The main agenda items considered were:
	27 February 2003
	The state of progress of the implementation of the Community Mechanism: the Commission reported on ongoing and planned activities in training, the CECIS communication system and the common rules for the implementation of the mechanism.
	Mid-Term Evaluation of the Action Programme: consultants reported on the programme and the recommendations were considered by the Commission in future calls for proposals.
	Draft Commission decision on the rolling plan 200004 of the Action Programme: members agreed unanimously on the plan to implement the programme.
	Other business included: a Commission presentation on the disaster medicine project, a report that the expert exchange system was now launched and information on other civil protection exercises and future meetings.
	16 June 2003
	State of implementation of the Community Mechanism: the Commission reported on progress with the database of resources, standard operating procedures for the response centre, the mock up of CESIS, expert missions, training curriculum, and the EU Handbook on assistance interventions.
	Status of the Joint declaration by the Council and Commission on the use of the Community Civil Protection Mechanism in Crisis Management: delegates decided to wait for the adoption of this declaration before voting on the common rules. This would be by written procedure.
	Other business included: Commission services need to follow strict financial rules in place since 1 January 2003. There are still issues of co-financing of exercises and assistance to be solved.
	As a consequence of discussions at these meetings, the EU adopted a decision on 29 December 2003 on common rules for the implementation of the Mechanism. The Commission has proposed an extension of the Community Action Programme to the end of 2006.

Farm Business Advisory Service

James Paice: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has for the future of the Farm Business Advisory Service.

Alun Michael: I will write to the hon. Member with the information as soon as possible.

Fish Processing

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to promote increased use of (a) by-products and trimmings from the commercial fish-processing sector and (b) discarded by-catch in the manufacture of fish meal and oil.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Fish Quota

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the total value in (a) sterling and (b) euros of UK fish quota entitlements held by (i) fishing licence holders, (ii) fish producer organisations and (iii) others, broken down by (A) species and (B) fishing sector areas, in each of the last five years for which records are available.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Flood Control

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what consultations she has undertaken in the last 12 months and with whom, concerning flood control and prevention measures, with particular reference to the recent flooding of Boscastle.

Elliot Morley: The Department regularly consults on proposed policy changes, both publicly and in more focused ways through, for example, our Flood Management Stakeholder Forum. The most recent public consultation, to inform development of the Government's new Strategy for Flood and Coastal Erosion Risk Management, completed on 1 November.
	The Environment Agency is the principle flood defence operating authority in England and Wales responsible for delivering the flood defence service.
	Since the severe flooding in Boscastle, the Agency has consulted with individual residents and landowners, North Cornwall District Council (NCDC), the National Trust (who are major landowners in Boscastle and the Valency catchment), the Parish Council and the local County Councillor.
	This consultation included meetings with residents in the village hall, the use of a drop-in centre to collect flood information, off-site meetings with the National Trust and attendance at the Regeneration Group established by NCDC. In addition, on-site meetings have been held with individual residents and landowners where required. All discussions were confirmed in writing and plans/drawings of proposed work have been produced.
	Newsletters have also been produced and information has been placed on the NCDC website.
	The Environment Agency used its emergency powers at Marine Terrace (on the River Jordan) where it is necessary to progress the most urgent work without delay. In doing so, the Agency has worked closely with residents and the local planning authority.
	Elsewhere in Boscastle, work is being done in accordance with normal consultation and procedures.
	The Agency will continue to consult as appropriate, aiming to meet the challenging target set by the community of certain elements of work being completed before the 2005 holiday season.

Foot and Mouth

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs who in her Department has seen the video of Burnside Farm, taken by trading standards officials on 24 February 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Foot and Mouth

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether (a) Ministers and (b) officials in the (i) Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and (ii) her Department had been informed of the existence of the (A) James Dring Report, (B) Northumberland Trading Standards video and report, (C) scientific test samples sent to Pirbright and (D) results of those test samples, all in respect of the Burnside Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001, (1) prior to and (2) during the period of the Dr. Iain Anderson FMD Inquiry in 200102;
	(2)  whether the (a) James Dring report, (b) Northumberland Trading Standards video and report, (c) scientific test samples sent to Pirbright and (d) results of those test samples, in respect of the Burnside Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001, were (i) supplied to the Chairman of the Lessons to be Learned Inquiry in 2001 and (ii) the subject of minuted informal meetings in (A) the Ministry of Agriculture, Fisheries and Food and (B) her Department in (1) 2001 and (2) 2002;
	(3)  what assessment was made of the suitability of the (a) James Dring report, (b) Northumberland Trading Standards video and report, (c) scientific test samples sent to Pirbright and (d) results of those test samples, in respect of the Burnside Farm, Heddon-on-the-Wall, foot and mouth disease outbreak in 2001, to be forwarded to Dr. Iain Anderson for his inquiry in 200102.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Foot and Mouth

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when her Department first received (a) a video and (b) other documentary evidence from Northumberland Trading Standards Department in respect of the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak at Heddon-on-the-Wall.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.

Foot and Mouth

Angela Browning: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs for what reason the Northumberland Trading Standards video of Burnside Farm at the time of the 2001 foot and mouth disease outbreak was not submitted to the Anderson Inquiry.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Foot and Mouth

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  whether samples were taken from feed destined for consumption by pigs at Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall in 2001 and subjected to a compositional analysis;
	(2)  whether samples or parts of samples taken from feed destined for consumption by pigs at Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall in 2001 have been retained;
	(3)  whether samples were taken from feed destined for consumption by pigs at Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall in 2001 and tested for the presence of (a) animal proteins that had not been modified by heat and (b) sheep proteins.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Foot and Mouth

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether there was an internal inquiry conducted by her Department and its predecessor into the conduct of Senior Veterinary Officer, Mr. Jim Dring, with regard to inspections at Burnside Farm, Heddon on the Wall, prior to the outbreak of foot and mouth disease in 2001; and if she will make a statement.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 16 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Foot and Mouth

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs on which farms which were registered swill feeders animals succumbed to the 2001 epidemic of foot and mouth disease.

Ben Bradshaw: holding answer 16 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the likely costs to her Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Defra has not made an assessment of the likely cost of complying with the Freedom of Information Act during the first quarter of 2005 because it is not possible at this stage to predict with any assurance the volume of requests that the Department is likely to receive. The Department has been working actively to ensure that our staff are aware of the Act's requirements and have the support they need to deal efficiently with any requests they receive.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether all Government buildings in her Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: I am assured that all Defra buildings within the Greater London area offer reasonable access facilities to disabled employees and visiting members of the public.

Greenhouse Gases

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of the effects on levels of (a) carbon dioxide and (b) other greenhouse gases achieved through use of an organic system of agriculture and of a biogas plant to recycle animal manures.

Elliot Morley: A 2003 Defra-funded study OF0405, entitled An assessment of the environmental impacts of organic farming, reviewed the impacts of organic farming on levels of carbon dioxide (in terms of both carbon dioxide emissions and carbon sequestration), and the other greenhouse gases nitrous oxide, methane and (the indirect greenhouse gas) ammonia. The review report can be found at http://www.defra.gov.uk/science/project data/DocumentLibrary/OF0405/OF 0405 909 TRP.doc
	The EC MIDAIR project focuses on mitigation options for organic and conventional dairy production at a system and region specific level. Details of a Defra-funded study (CC0250) forming part of the project can be found at http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/proiect data/More.asp?l=CC0255M=KWSV= cc0255SCOPE=0
	Proceedings of the International Conference Greenhouse Gas Emissions from AgricultureMitigation Options and Strategies, held in February 2004 in Germany, is part of the MIDAIR project and contains reports of numerous, relevant assessments.
	Defra has funded two recent projects to assess the effects of anaerobic digestion (biogas plant) on carbon dioxide (via the use of methane generated in the plant as a replacement for non-renewable fossil fuel) and on other greenhouse gases (primarily via the capture and combustion to carbon dioxide of methane which might otherwise be released to the atmospheremethane having a global warming potential many times that of carbon dioxide). Details of these studies can be found at http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project data/projects. asp?M=KWSV=cc0222SCOPE=0 and at http://www2.defra.gov.uk/research/project data/projects.asp? M=KWSV=c c0240SCOPE=0
	Anaerobic treatment options for animal manures (including biogas plants) and their effects on levels of carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases were recently reviewed by C.H.Burton and C.Turner (2003) in Manure Management second Edition, Chapter 7, pp 273320, ISBN: 09531282 6 1, Silsoe Research Institute, as part of the EU Accompanying Measure project, MATRESA.

Home Composting

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to measure the contribution of home composting towards recycling targets.

Elliot Morley: The Government is working with expert bodies, including the Waste and Resources Action Programme, to develop a robust methodology to calculate the amount of waste diverted from the household waste stream through home composting schemes. If a workable and auditable methodology is found, the Government will then review whether and how home composting can be incorporated into future local and national recycling and composting figures.
	The impact of home composting on waste reduction is already reflected at local level by Best Value Performance Indicator 84, which measures kilograms of household waste collected per head of population. Home composting activity will also be reflected in local and national progress towards meeting targets under the Landfill Directive to reduce the amount of biodegradable municipal waste sent to landfill.

Hunting

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has undertaken of the impact of a ban on hunting on those who live in tied housing; and what steps will be taken to protect existing tied tenants.

Alun Michael: Tied housing is a private arrangement between landlord and tenant, but any tenants evicted by their landlords as a result of a ban on hunting will have the same recourse to their local services as any other evicted citizen. No assessment has been made by Defra of the effect of a ban on hunting on those living in tied housing as this issue is not covered in Lord Burns' comprehensive report and did not feature significantly in the evidence given to the Portcullis House hearings.

Industrial Fisheries

Owen Paterson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will take steps to support a reduction in the use of fish meal and oil in aquaculture and agriculture; and what steps are being taken to promote the development of vegetable substitutes for these products.

Ben Bradshaw: The Government are concerned to protect vulnerable stocks of fish in the production of fishmeal and fish oil and we support measures that may be needed to help stock recovery and sustainability.
	Within the EU, the use of fishmeal in the agriculture sector is currently restricted to monogastric animals (eg pigs and poultry). Fishmeal and fish oil are used widely throughout the aquaculture industry and any reduction in usage would have implications for product quality. The issues are complex and are being considered in the context of the EU strategy for the sustainable development of European Aquaculture (Com. (2002) 511 final).
	Defra is helping to fund collaborative cod trials which are designed to test different levels of fishmeal replacement with vegetable proteins. Defra has also invested in highly strategic research to transfer the genes in marine algae responsible for the health beneficial components of fish oil to oilseed rape. This research at the Centre for Novel Agricultural Products at the University of York has just been completed. It could lead eventually to the development of oilseed rape varieties providing a vegetable oil based supply which incorporates the key components of fish oil.

Insect Population

Norman Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will estimate the UK (a) fly, (b) mosquito and (c) cockroach population; and what the predicted numbers are in the event of a (i) 1 per cent. (ii) two per cent. and (iii) three per cent. increase on current average temperatures due to climate changes.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Kyoto Protocol

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the decision of the Russian Government to sign the Kyoto Protocol.

Elliot Morley: We are delighted that President Putin has signed the Kyoto Protocol, and eagerly anticipate its deposition at the United Nations shortly. The Protocol will come into force ninety days after its deposition, and we look forward to working with Russia both in achieving our Kyoto goals and at the forthcoming Tenth Conference of Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Kyoto Protocol

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on progress with ratification of the Kyoto Protocol; which countries have yet to ratify; and what recent discussions she has had with them.

Elliot Morley: In order for the Kyoto Protocol to enter into force it must be ratified by 55 countries including developed countries accounting for 55 per cent. of this group's carbon dioxide emissions from 1990. With these criteria satisfied, the Protocol would come into force 90 days after the last required ratified instrument was deposited at the United Nations.
	127 countries have, at present, ratified the Protocol, and in the absence of ratification by the US, Russiawhich in 1990 produced 17 per cent. of the world's CO 2 emissionswill provide the final signature to bring Kyoto into force. The Federation Council and Duma (Russia's upper and lower Houses of Parliament) approved the Protocol in late October this year, and President Putin put his signature to the document on the 5 November. We now await the document's deposition at the UN, and its eventual coming into force.
	My officials and I have regular discussions with our counterparts in other countries, including the US and Australia, about the urgent need for serious action to tackle climate change. The 10th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change in December in Buenos Aires will provide a further opportunity to exchange views.

Land Management

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that conditions are attached to future stewardship schemes to secure land management practices that reduce the risk of flooding.

Alun Michael: We hope to launch our new Environmental Stewardship scheme, which is currently awaiting EU approval, early next year. Details of the scheme options and conditions will be released nearer the time.
	It is our intention that the scheme will include some measures designed to reduce soil erosion and run-off in high risk areas. It will also include options that may contribute to flood management in both river and coastal situations.
	Defra has completed initial research to establish current knowledge of the extent to which changes in land management practices impact on flood events. This has shown that there is great uncertainty about the impacts at other than local scales. Future research in the next few years will consider these impacts upon wider catchment areas. Further conditions or options may be included in future scheme revisions once the scientific evidence is clearer.

Landfill

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent representations she has received regarding the measurement of waste disposal by landfill by volume rather than weight.

Elliot Morley: This issue is raised occasionally in debates and parliamentary Questions in this House and in correspondence from members of the public. In the main, however, it is recognised that developing an effective system of measuring waste by volume is not straightforward (for example, waste tends to be compacted at various stages during the disposal process). Moreover, as all EU legislation measures waste by weight, a robust and acceptable method of conversion from volume to weight would also be needed.

League Against Cruel Sports

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when (a) she and (b) Ministers in her Department last met representatives of the League Against Cruel Sports; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Milk Prices

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions she has entered into with supermarkets and co-operatives regarding the farm-gate price of liquid milk; and what the responses of those companies have been.

Alun Michael: Price negotiations between producers and processors, or processors and supermarkets are private commercial matters in which the Government cannot and should not get involved, provided competition rules are respected. However, Ministers frequently meet representatives from all parts of the dairy supply chain and are therefore aware of the issues.

Mobile Telephones

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many mobile phones were used by (a) Ministers and special advisers and (b) officials in her Department in each year since 1997; how many were (i) lost and (ii) stolen; and what their cost was.

Margaret Beckett: The number of mobile phones held by the Department as at October 2004 is 3,398, of which 46 are the responsibility of the Department's Secretariat. No information is held centrally on the number of phones which have been lost or stolen.
	The total payment made to our primary mobile phone contractors for the 12 months to October 2004 is 498,350.46. This includes rental, call charges, mobile phones and accessories. All contracts in place comply with the OGC negotiated contract.
	Centralised records were not established until last year, so no details are available for earlier years.

Nickel-cadmium Batteries

Martin Caton: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to improve collection and recycling rates for nickel-cadmium batteries.

Elliot Morley: This is a matter for the Department of Trade and Industry.

Organic Farming

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much was spent in support of organic farming in each of the last three years.

Ben Bradshaw: The following table shows Defra's spending in the last three financial years on support for organic farming:
	
		
			  200102 200203 200304 
		
		
			 Financial support
			 Under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS)(46), which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) ( million) 13.6 14.7 10.4 
			 
			 Other support
			 Organic Conversion Information (OCIS)() 330,293 300,975 237,998 
			 Defra funding for organic farming research projects ( million) 2.1 1.8 1.9 
		
	
	In the 200405 year, payments to the end of October, were as follows:
	
		
			  200405 
		
		
			 Financial support  
			 Under the Organic Farming Scheme (OFS)(46), which is part of the England Rural Development Programme (ERDP) ( million) 4.1 
			   
			 Other support  
			 Organic Conversion Information (OCIS)() 106,206 
			 Defra funding for organic farming research projects ( million) 1.9 
		
	
	(46) Payments made under this scheme are administered by the Rural Payments Agency (RPA).

Over-thirty-month Scheme

Alex Salmond: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent discussions her Department has had with the Scottish Executive regarding the Over-30-month scheme; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she will reply to the question, reference 198471, from the hon. Member for Vale of York.

Elliot Morley: I replied to the hon. Member's question on 17 November 2004.

Peat Bogs

Steve Webb: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to her letter of 10 October (her ref: 203663/JF) regarding peat bogs, when she expects the consultation on the designation of (a) Bolton Fell Moss and (b) Solway Moss as special areas of conservation to be concluded.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Peregrine Falcons

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what estimate she has made of the size of the peregrine falcon population in the UK (a) at present, (b) 10 years ago, (c) 20 years ago and (d) 30 years.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Public Telephones

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of coverage of public telephone kiosks in rural areas; and what discussions she has had with British Telecommunications and other telephone suppliers on this matter.

Alun Michael: I have not made an assessment or had discussions with telephone suppliers. The Government takes access to all public services in rural areas seriously and all telephone providers are subject to the universal service obligation.
	Universal service is a concept fundamental to the regulation of telecommunications in the UK. It means that basic telephone services should be available to everybody upon reasonable request and at an affordable price. This includes the provision of public call boxes and call box services in the UK.
	This is a matter for the Office of Communications (Ofcom), which took over responsibility for telecommunications regulation in December 2003. The universal service conditions and directions applying to public call boxes can be found on Ofcom's website. Ofcom is currently reviewing the universal service obligation and intends to publish a document for consultation later this year.

Publications

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will list the Department's publications, copies of which have been mailed unsolicited in the most recent 12 months for which information is available; and how many copies of each publication were printed.

Alun Michael: The Department's Communication Directorate issued some 109 mailings during the most recent 12 months. These mainly consist of forms and guidance to farmers dealing with Common Agricultural Policy issues and consultation documents targeted at stakeholders and other interested parties.
	The number of copies printed is determined by the number of addresses on the appropriate mailing list; this could range from a few hundred for some consultations to 200,000 for a circulation to all farmers.
	During the period we issued 33 mailings to farmers; 27 consultation documents and 49 containing general information to regional and specialist groups.

Raptors

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what legislation is in force to protect raptor bird populations; and whether she has plans to amend the legislation.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Raptors

Richard Spring: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what effect the existing legislation to protect raptor birds has had on their population in the UK.

Ben Bradshaw: All birds of prey are strictly protected under UK law. The Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981 (for Great Britain) and the 1985 Wildlife (Northern Ireland) Order, as amended by other legislation such as the Countryside and Rights of Way Act 2000 and the Nature Conservation (Scotland) Act 2004, establish the legal basis for the protection of these and other bird species.
	Illegal persecution constrains populations sizes and distribution. The population of hen harrier is now at a level which jeopardises the continued existence of the species in England. However other species are in the process of recovering former distribution and population size, apparently as a consequence of recent lessening of levels of illegal persecution directed at them. Thus the Buzzard currently appears to be re-establishing its former range in lowland Britain.
	The population status of birds of prey is affected not only by their legal status, but also by a range of other factors some of which are under different forms of legislative or policy regulation. Thus in recent decades the populations of Peregrine and Sparrowhawk have been recovering their former distributions and numbers as a consequence of progressive legal restrictions on the use of persistent organo-chlorine pesticides formerly used in agriculture, leading to the ultimate banning of the use of DOT in 1986.
	Land-use changes (many of which are under legislative or policy control), such as open-ground afforestation, have affected UK raptor populations in a range of waysand have had different impacts consequent on species' different ecological requirements. Meanwhile species such as White-tailed Eagle and Red Kite have been the subject of active re-establishment programmes. Information on the main drivers of population change for each species of UK raptor is summarised in Annex 4 of the 2000 report to Ministers of the UK Raptor Working Group, a copy of which is in the House of Commons Library.

Recycling

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what percentage of (a) domestic refuse, (b) commercial refuse and (c) industrial refuse was recycled in (i) Leicester and (ii) England in the last year for which figures are available.

Elliot Morley: Results from the Defra Municipal Waste Management Survey 200203 show Leicester with a household recycling rate of 11.5 per cent. The household recycling rate for England over the same period was 14.5 per cent.
	The latest results available for industrial and commercial waste, reused or recycled are from the Environment Agency, National Waste Production Survey, 199899. Results for England show a commercial recycling rate of 24.2 per cent. and an industrial recycling rate of 42.2 per cent. The corresponding recycling rates for Leicester are not available.

Regulatory Impact Assessments

John Redwood: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the aggregate annual cost measured by the regulatory impact assessments is of compliance with all the regulations introduced by her Department since 1997.

Alun Michael: All proposals which impact on business, charities or the voluntary sector require a regulatory impact assessment (RIA) which includes details of the costs, benefits and risks of the proposal. RIAs are subject to public consultation and copies of final RIAs are available from the House Libraries and on departmental websites.

River Thames (Sewage)

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking to avoid a repetition of the flooding of the River Thames with raw sewage in August; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The sewage collection system serving London is comprised largely of combined systems which collect and transport for treatment both domestic and industrial waste water, and rainwater run-off. As sewers and sewage treatment works have a maximum capacity, it is a design feature of combined systems to have overflows which discharge in some wet weather conditions to prevent sewers from flooding, and sewage treatment works from being overloaded. Therefore, although we hope the environmental effects of the sewage discharge in early August aren't repeated, the overflows will continue to operate during some wet weather conditions.
	As agreed in the last Periodic Review of water company price limits for 200005, Thames Water, the Environment Agency, Defra and the Office of Water Services (Ofwat) have been involved in a Strategic Study of the environmental impact of intermittent storm sewage discharges to the Thames Tideway. The remit of the study was to identify objectives for improvement, and to propose potential solutions, having regard to costs and benefits.
	As a result of the study, the Final Guidance by the Secretary of State to the Director-General of OfWat, published on 4 October 2004, and the draft price limits published by Ofwat on 5 August 2004, include provision for further measures to address sewage discharges to the Thames Tideway.
	In the medium term this will result in improvements to the capacity and quality of treated effluent from three sewage treatment works (Beckton, Crossness, and Mogden) which discharge to the Thames Tideway. These improvements are also to include reducing the frequency of intermittent discharges from the storm water storage tanks at Mogden, which made a significant contribution to the pollution in August.
	In addition a scheme to improve the treated effluent at Riverside sewage treatment works, is identified to improve water quality in the river and protect fish.
	Also, as set out in the Final Guidance, we have asked Thames Water and the Environment Agency to undertake further work on a long-term solution proposed by the Strategic Study group, and on other smaller-scalemeasures that could bring earlier improvements on intermittent discharges.

Sand Eels

Lawrie Quinn: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the advice by the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea recommending a reduction in fishing for North Sea sand eels; and if she will support lower catch limits for industrial feed fisheries within EU waters at the next EU Fisheries Council.

Ben Bradshaw: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

School Milk

David Kidney: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will ensure that milk is available under the school milk scheme to pupils in all schools.

Alun Michael: Member states are required to make the EU school milk subsidy scheme available to primary and nursery schools wishing to participate; participation is, a matter for the school or local education authority.

Set-aside Rules

Michael Spicer: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs when she expects to publish details of the new set-aside rules.

Alun Michael: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how different types of tenanted farms are to be treated in respect of their eligibility for National Reserve payments under the proposed Single Farm Payment system.

Alun Michael: The precise way in which the national reserve will operate in certain circumstances is still being considered. I anticipate a further announcement soon.

Single Farm Payment Scheme

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs whether tenancies secured under the provisions of the Agriculture (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1986 will be treated as entitled to payments from the National Reserve under the proposed Single Farm Payment system.

Alun Michael: In applying the provisions of the national reserve, leases of six years or more (five in some circumstances) may be considered as equivalent to purchase and lead to an award under the investors category. The 1986 Act Tenancies are essentially one-year renewable tenancies. We are still considering whether they can be considered as long-term tenancies for this purpose.

Sugar

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what (a) discussions she has had and (b) agreements she has reached with her colleagues in the (i) Department for Trade and Industry and (ii) Department for International Development in respect of the UK position on the future of the EU Sugar Regime.

Alun Michael: Reform of the EU sugar regime has been the subject of normal inter-departmental consultation. The welcome which my right hon. Friend the Secretary of State gave to the European Commission's latest Communication at the July Agriculture Council, as an important step in the right direction, reflected these discussions.

Sugar

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what decisions the Government have taken in respect of European Council negotiations on the future of the EU Sugar Regime.

Alun Michael: The Government have welcomed the European Commission's July Communication on sugar reform as an important step in the right direction and continues to urge the need for early progress, including on an Action Plan to address the concerns of existing preferential suppliers to the EU market.
	Formal negotiations will not begin until the Commission comes forward with detailed legislative proposals.

Sugar

Andrew George: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what assessment she has made of (a) the timetable for (i) future negotiations and (ii) decisions and (b) future entitlement to quota ownership in respect of the EU Sugar Regime.

Alun Michael: The European Commission has tabled a Communication setting out their preferred approach to sugar reform, but have not yet made formal legislative proposals for a new regime. It is for the Commission to decide when to put such proposals to the Council and for the Presidency in office to bring discussions to a successful conclusion.
	We do not have a view on future entitlement to quota ownership at this stage of discussion.

Timber

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what policy directions on procurement of legal and sustainably sourced timber she has issued applying to (a) Lottery funded bodies and (b) private finance initiative contracts; and if she will make a statement.

Alun Michael: Lottery distributors who are responsible for issuing instructions to Lottery funded bodies, are intended to be, independent of Government, but they are obliged to take into account policy directions from the Secretary of State for Culture, Media and Sport. These directions set out the framework for the wider aims of Lottery funding, and include the need for the distributing bodies to further the objectives of sustainable development when awarding Lottery grants. The Lottery distributing bodies are strongly committed to sustainable development, including the procurement of timber from legal and sustainable sources.
	Advice on implementing sustainable development policy through public private partnership contracts can be viewed in the Guide at www.hm- treasury.gov.uk/media/851/A5/PPP_GreenPublicPrivatePart.pdf. This advice contains a number of references and links to the Government's timber procurement policy, including a specific reminder of the commitment in Annex A under the heading Materials.
	The OGC first issued guidance to departments on the procurement of legal and sustainable timber in their construction projects, including through PFI contracts, in an Information Note (IN 9/2002) in December 2002. That Note included the following text. Departments must review their existing arrangements for the purchase of legal and sustainably-produced timber and timber products, such as joinery, fittings, furniture and veneers. To help ensure that suppliers are fully aware of the Government's commitment and what it means to them, the Minister for the Environment wrote to Green Ministers on 13 May 2002 asking them, inter alia, to review their procurement of timber and timber products. The letter enclosed a model specification clause for use in Government contracts. Anyone who is developing or managing a public private partnership, including PFI projects involving capital investment should take account of this latest letter to Green Ministers when writing their output specification. The Green Public Private Partnerships guide gives advice on writing the output specification as well as issues for contractors to consider when drawing up their tender.
	The OGC issued further advice in the light of Defra's January 2004 guidance and revised model contract specification clause on timber procurement, in a subsequent Information Note (IN 5/2004) in May 2004 to update that given in IN 9/2002.

Tobacco-growing Industry

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what level of financial support has been given to the tobacco-growing industry in the EU in each of the last five years.

Alun Michael: The level of financial support (premiums) for the tobacco-growing industry in the EU in each of the last five years is shown in the table.
	Under the agreement reached by the Council of Ministers in Luxembourg in April of this year, direct support for tobacco will be brought to an end by 2010. Between 2006 and 2010 producer member states will have the option of retaining up to 60 per cent. of the tobacco premium as a coupled payment. From 2010, aid will be completely decoupled from production with 50 per cent. being transferred to the single farm payment and the remaining 50 per cent. to be used for restructuring programmes under the rural development programme.
	
		Cost of premia paid under the tobacco regime
		
			  Million euro  Million(47) 
		
		
			 1999 910 628 
			 2000 984 679 
			 2001 964 665 
			 2002 952 657 
			 2003 (47)956 660 
		
	
	(47) Appropriations 2003
	Note:
	Exchange rate based on the rate for 21 October 2004: 1 euro=0.69005
	Source:
	Official Journal of the European Union

Toxic Waste

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will make a statement on the disposal of toxic waste.

Elliot Morley: Significant changes in the management of hazardous waste are being brought about by implementation of the Landfill and Hazardous Waste Directives. Earlier concerns that the UK would have insufficient landfill capacity to deal with arisings of hazardous waste following the end of co-disposal on 16 July 2004 have not materialised. There is sufficient landfill capacity to meet demand at present and fly tipping has not increased.
	The Government and the Agency are working together to prepare for the full implementation of the Landfill Directive waste acceptance criteria (WAC) in July 2005. The WAG set leachate limits on waste going to landfill, and will require some hazardous waste to have additional treatment prior to landfill. It is important that producers of hazardous waste in particular, are aware of their obligations, and that they are liaising with the waste management industry as necessary. To that end Defra has organised a seminar on the issue next month. In addition, a comprehensive web portal www.hazardouswaste.org.uk, has been established to provide links to advice, guidance and details of regulatory requirements.
	The Hazardous Waste Forum also meets regularly to discuss a variety of issues, including disposal.

Warm Front

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many households in England are eligible for assistance under the (a) Warm Front and (b) Warm Front Plus programmes; how many additional households become eligible for Warm Front Plus as a result of pension credit being added to the range of qualifying benefits; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Warm Front

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs 
	(1)  what discretion her Department allows Warm Front scheme managers to (a) repeat grants for households which have already benefited from Warm Front and (b) fast-track exceptionally vulnerable households;
	(2)  what mechanisms are in place to monitor private landlords' compliance with the requirement to freeze rents for a one or two year period after a Warm Front improvement.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Waste Management (PFI)

Barry Sheerman: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has to establish a taskforce to help local authorities which may use private finance initiatives to develop waste management infrastructure and facilities.

Elliot Morley: The private finance initiative is one of the main mechanisms through which local government funds investment in value for money waste services.
	In 2003, Defra set up a Waste Implementation Programme (WIP) to facilitate improved local authority performance, boost the take up of wider options for waste management and to co-ordinate funding more effectively. Action taken by WIP has already led to an increase in the number of waste PFI projects coming forward, including through close working with local authorities, the waste industry and the public-private partnerships programme (the 4Ps).
	A new Waste Management Procurement Pack has been developed by the 4Ps to provide specific assistance to local authorities in England with the procurement of waste management projects through the PFIstrongly supported by Defra, Partnerships UK and the Waste and Resources Action Programme. This guidance, which all local authorities can use, will enable the initial delivery of projects to a higher standard, reduce the time taken for them to reach contract signature, and act as a guide and invaluable tool throughout the whole procurement process.
	The WIP programme is committed to ensuring that ongoing support is made available to local authorities to maintain the healthy levels of good quality potential waste PFI projects that we are currently seeing. The need for further specific support measures is currently under consideration.

Waste Management (PFI)

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what plans she has put in place to permit waste disposal authorities, which will be introducing new private finance initiative waste management contracts, to suspend any fines prior to the full introduction of the contract under the Landfill Allowance Trading Scheme.

Elliot Morley: None; under Section 9(2) of the Waste and Emissions Trading Act 2003 a waste disposal authority (WDA) automatically becomes liable for a (financial) penalty if the amount of biodegradable municipal waste it sends to landfill in any one scheme year exceeds the amount authorised by the number of landfill allowances it holds for that year. Before that position is reached, however, a WDA will be able to trade or borrow allowances in a six month reconciliation period that follows the end of a scheme year, in order to balance its books. Alternatively, a WDA can make a case to the Secretary of State for her to use her powers to waive a penalty if the reason for the breach was beyond its control.

Water Bills/Metering

David Cameron: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps the Government are taking in accordance with the Water Act 1999 to ensure that metered customers of water companies have the choice of remaining on a metered bill or changing to a rateable value bill; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: The Water Industry Act 1999 provides that household customers charged for their water on an unmeasured basis have the right to continue to pay on that basis in their current home. They also have the right to change to a measured basis free of charge and have the corresponding right to revert to an unmeasured charge within the first year.
	It is the responsibility of Ofwat to ensure that companies charge fairly and keep their customers well-informed of their rights and the choices open to them.

Water Bills/Metering

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what the net change in the number of household customers charged for water on the basis of metering was in (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304.

Elliot Morley: The following table shows the change in the number of households with a metered supply for the years (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304. The figures take account of households who have requested a metered supply, households who have been metered at the water company's initiative and new household properties that are almost all metered. The numbers reported in the table include the effect of any reduction in the number of measured households during the year.
	
		
			   Period Increase in number of measured household properties over this period 
		
		
			 31 March 2001 to 31 March 2002 387,478 
			 31 March 2002 to 31 March 2003 384,782 
			 31 March 2003 to 31 March 2004 427,447

Water Bills/Metering

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many people in (a) Hemsworth constituency and (b) England use water meters.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Windfall Tax (Oil and Gas)

Alan Simpson: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what discussions her Department has had with HM Treasury on (a) the case for a windfall tax on excessive profits made by oil and gas producers and (b) the use of revenues from such a tax to fund a domestic energy efficiency programme; and if she will make a statement.

Elliot Morley: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Worcester

Michael Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the Worcester constituency, the effect of changes to departmental policies since 1997, on the Worcester constituency.

Alun Michael: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.
	I will write to my hon. Friend with the information as soon as possible.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Reducing Crime, Changing Lives

Martyn Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what consultations he had prior to the publication of his response to the Carter report.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Reducing Crime, Changing Lives

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the proposals set out in, Reducing Crime, Changing Lives, on 6 January, were not subject to the Cabinet Office Code of Practice on Written Consultations in relation to (a) prior consultation with stakeholders and (b) the minimum 12-week consultation period.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Accession State Worker Registration Scheme

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for the Accession State Worker Registration Scheme have been received since 1 May; what the latest figures are for the average times taken between the receipt of an application and (a) the return of the applicant's passport and (b) the issue of a registration certificate; and what the target time is for processing applications.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Alcohol Industry

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in securing voluntary contributions towards the cost of policing disorder from the alcohol industry.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Anglia Water

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) level of customer service and (b) effectiveness of sub-contractor management provided by the Anglia Water Group in respect of approved premises contracts over the past 18 months.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 28 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Anguilla

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many UK and EU passports have been (a) applied for and (b) obtained by Anguillan citizens in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement on levels of immigration from Anguilla.

Des Browne: British passports are issued to British nationals in accordance with the Nationality Act 1981. Anguilla is an overseas territory of the United Kingdom and on 21 May 2002, the British Overseas Territories Act 2002 came into force.
	British Overseas Territory Citizens (previously British Dependent Territory citizens) with a connection with Anguilla will have become a British citizen with the introduction of this Act. They are eligible to apply for a British passport in one of two designs; a EU style passport showing them as a British citizen or a non-EU passport showing their national status as British Overseas Territory Citizen Anguilla.
	Unfortunately, we are unable to provide details of non-EU passports issued broken down into different categories nor do we have the facility to establish how many passports are issued showing a specific country of birth. There are also no figures available for the number of British Dependant Territory citizens who have obtained British citizenship before 2002 and then applied for a British passport.
	It is not possible to say from centrally held information what the levels of immigration from Anguilla are.

Animal Experimentation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the evidential basis was for point one of the Home Office response to twelve questions raised by Dan Lyons, uncaged campaigns, about Imutran Xenotransplantation research licensed under the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Animal Experimentation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether lethal endpoints were expected in (a) project licence authorities and (b) other communications between the Home Office, the Animal Procedures Committee and Imutran in relation to Imutran xenotransplantation procedures with a moderate severity limit.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Animal Experimentation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 4 October 2004, Official Report, column 1895W, on animal experimentation, on what date the Animal Procedures Committee was informed that Imutran primates on moderate procedures had been found dead; and what form the communication took.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Animal Experimentation

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what infringement action has been taken under section 6(6) of the Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act 1986 against, (a) named day-to-day care persons and (b) named veterinary surgeons employed by Huntingdon Life Sciences, in respect of failures to make arrangements for the care or destruction of primates in Imutran xenotransplantation procedures where breaches of the moderate severity limit occurred as identified at paragraph 5.14 of the chief inspector's compliance review.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps have been taken to tackle antisocial behaviour in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Hazel Blears: The Anti-social Behaviour Act 2003 is the single biggest package of measures tackling antisocial behaviour. It was introduced after widespread consultation with communities and practitioners. These powers are part of the Government's TOGETHER campaign to help local people and agencies tackle the menace of yob behaviour. The Act and Together apply across all of England and Wales including the hon. Member's Constituency.
	To achieve this there has been the provision of centrally funded Anti-Social Behaviour Co-ordinators and for which Newcastle-under-Lyme have received 10,000 in 200304 and 25,000 in 200405.
	An audit of crime and disorder within the borough of Newcastle identified antisocial behaviour as one of the priority issues. The Newcastle Community Safety Partnership has responded by developing an Antisocial Behaviour Strategy that seeks to develop a co-ordinated approach to tackling antisocial behaviour. The strategy focuses on three key work areas:
	Continual review of hotspots via consultation.
	Supporting local people who have been the victim of antisocial behaviour and raising awareness and understanding of hard to reach groups, who are vulnerable to antisocial behaviour.
	Focused intelligence gathering on, and challenging of prolific offenders. This includes identifying persons responsible for antisocial behaviour and targeting positive interventions and enforcement.

Antisocial Behaviour

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps the Government have taken to promote stronger and safer communities in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on tackling drugs misuse in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Antisocial Behaviour

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many antisocial behaviour orders have been issued in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Hazel Blears: The number of notifications received by the Home office of antisocial behaviour orders issued, up to 30 June 2004 (latest available), where the restrictions imposed are specific to Newcastle-under-Lyme, is 13.

Antisocial Behaviour

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the number of antisocial behaviour orders issued in the Vale of York in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: The number of notifications received by the Home Office of antisocial behaviour orders issued in each of the last three years within the North Yorkshire magistrates courts committee (MCC) area, which includes the Vale of York, is given in the table.
	
		The number of ASBOs issued in North Yorkshire, as reported to the Home Office, by period
		
			  Number 
		
		
			 1 January to 31 December 2001 7 
			 1 January to 31 December 2002 0 
			 1 January to 31 December 2003 8 
			 Total 15

Asylum

Win Griffiths: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the meetings in his diary for the rest of 2004 on delivering the Government's strategy on asylum.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act

Neil Gerrard: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have taken place under section 2 of the Asylum and Immigration (Treatment of Claimants) Act 2004; how many of these are being dealt with in magistrates courts; and how many have been referred to Crown courts.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum and Immigration Act

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost was of enforcing section 8 of the Asylum and Immigration Act 1996 in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Appeals

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many appeals against refusal of political asylum were waiting to be heard on 1 October.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the building of the proposed asylum accommodation centre at Bicester to (a) commence and (b) be completed; when he expects the building to be ready to accept asylum seekers; what plans have been made for the build-up of occupation of the centre by asylum seekers; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: It is expected that construction of the accommodation centre near Bicester will commence in early 2005.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what procedures he has in place to keep track of people waiting for asylum applications to be processed.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Andrew Rosindell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for asylum there were per month in each of the last 10 years.

Des Browne: The table shows the number of asylum applications (principal applicants) received in the UK from January 1994 to December 2004.
	Information on asylum applications are published on a quarterly and annual basis. The publication covering the third quarter of 2004 (July to September) was published on 16 November on the Home Office Research Development and Statistics Directorate website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.
	The Prime Minister's pledge to reduce by a half the number of applications by September 2003 (using a baseline of October 2002) has been achieved. A range of initiatives has contributed to this success, including the introduction of juxtaposed controls, the deployment of New Detection Technology in France and Belgium, an informed and robust visa strategy, a network of airline liaison officers and close co-operation with carriers, port authorities and our EU colleagues.
	
		Applications received for asylum in the United Kingdom, excluding dependants, by month 1
		
			  1994 1995 1996 1997 1998 1999 2 2000 2 2001 2002 2003 3 
		
		
			 January 2,350 3,570 3,310 2,715 2,860 4,700 6,110 6,880 6,575 7,210 
			 February 2,000 3,030 2,850 2,475 2,650 4,185 6,110 5,955 6,325 4,215 
			 March 2,755 3,310 3,145 2,160 3,200 5,060 6,680 6,175 6,355 4,430 
			 April 2,505 2,810 2,070 2,665 3,135 4,905 6,855 5,045 6,475 3,690 
			 May 2,650 3,450 1,755 2,590 3,110 5,370 6,725 5,300 7,380 3,365 
			 June 2,465 3,630 1,730 2,585 3,575 6,130 6,545 5,340 6,235 3,615 
			 July 2,645 3,415 2,515 3,070 4,215 6,440 6,870 6,005 7,510 3,990 
			 August 2,695 3,890 2,140 2,930 4,420 7,120 6,770 6,545 6,895 3,795 
			 September 3,695 4,020 2,185 2,850 4,455 7,355 6,790 6,070 7,630 4,270 
			 October 2,995 4,595 2,810 2,990 5,010 6,295 7,230 6,435 8,770 4,025 
			 November 3,125 4,715 2,450 2,345 4,620 6,420 7,500 5,795 7,545 3,275 
			 December 2,940 3,540 2,685 3,120 4,770 7,180 6,125 5,490 6,445 3,525 
			 Total 32,830 43,965 29,640 32,500 46,015 71,160 80,315 71,025 84,130 49,405 
		
	
	(48) Figures rounded to the nearest 5 with * = 1 or 2.
	(49) May exclude some cases lodged at Local Enforcement Offices between January 1999 and March 2000.
	(50) Provisional figures.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many failed asylum seekers he expects to remove in the next 12 months.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on his proposals to decide asylum applications offshore.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Home Office initial decision-makers in relation to asylum applications were in the post on 1 September in each of the last seven years.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many accommodation centres for asylum seekers are operational; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 October 2004
	None. A contractor has been appointed to design, build and operate the first centre near Bicester; now that the local authority's legal challenge of the planning process has concluded we expect construction on this centre to begin in early 2005.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many staff are currently processing the exceptional indefinite leave to remain exercise applications; whether there is a backlog; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of initial decisions on asylum applications have been successfully appealed in the last 12 months.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Julie Morgan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the status is of (a) an asylum seeker, (b) a failed asylum seeker and (c) their dependants in each case if a spouse is granted the right to work in the UK as an EU citizen under the Workers Registration Scheme.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the rate of removals of failed asylum seekers in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: The latest available information on the number of asylum seekers removed is shown in the table.
	
		Removals, voluntary departures(51), assisted returns, of asylum applicants, January 1999 to June 2004 2 -- Number of persons
		
			  Principal asylum applicants removed Dependants removed 3 Total removed 3 
		
		
			 1999(54) 7,665   
			 2000(54) 8,980   
			 2001(54) 9,285 1,495 10,780 
			 2002 10,740 3,170 13,910 
			 2003(55) 13,005 4,890 17,895 
			 Q1 2004(55) 3,320 765 4,085 
			 Q2 2004(55) 3,130 595 3,725 
		
	
	(51) Includes enforced removals, persons departing 'voluntarily' following enforcement action being initiated against them, persons leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes run by the International Organisation for Migration.
	(52) Figures rounded to the nearest 5, and may not sum due to rounding.
	(53) Data on dependants removed not available before April 2001.
	(54) Figures may include a small number of dependents leaving under Assisted Voluntary Return Programmes
	(55) Provisional figures
	Provisional statistics for the number of persons removed during the third quarter of 2004 was published on 16 November, on the Home Office Research, Development and Statistics website at http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/rds/immigration1.html.

Asylum Seekers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 19 October 2004, Official Report, column 601W, on asylum seekers, for what reasons some local authorities in certain years have negative net expenditure on asylum.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated number of asylum seekers residing in each parliamentary constituency is.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many asylum seekers have been dispersed to each parliamentary constituency in (a) the two years up to the end of 2003 and (b) the latest two-year period for which data is available.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my right hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for (a) which countries of origin and (b) what periods since 1997 it has been the policy of his Department not to enforce the return of failed asylum seekers.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 October 2004
	Since 1997, the Home Office has had a policy of not enforcing the return of failed asylum seekers to the countries listed below, for the periods specified.
	Prior to October 2002, Exceptional Leave to Remain (ELR) was granted to asylum applicants from particular countries on a country basis. The blanket use of ELR for certain countries ended in October 2002 and since then the issue of return has been considered solely in terms of the individual circumstances of each case.
	Since the end of blanket ELR policies the only country for which there has been a general policy not to enforce the return of failed asylum seekers has been Zimbabwe. Enforced returns of failed asylum seekers to Zimbabwe were temporarily suspended between 15 January 2002 and 16 November 2004.
	
		
			 Country Period Specified 
		
		
			 Afghanistan January 1995October 2002 
			 Angola August 1998May 1999 
			 Burundi(56) January 1997October 2002 
			 Congo November 1997August 1998 
			 (Congo-Brazzaville) July 1999July 2000 
			 Cote d'Ivoire October 20009 April 2001 
			 Democratic Republic of Congo May 1997May 1998 August 1998May 1999 January 2001February 2001 
			 Iraq(57) January 1997September 2000 
			 Kosovo June 1999April 2000 
			 Liberia October 1990October 2002 
			 Libya April 2000October 2002 
			 Rwanda(56) January 1997August 2002 
			 Sierra Leone June 1999September 2001 
			 Somalia(57) January 1997October 2002 
			 Turkey July 1999December 2000 
			 Zimbabwe January 2002 -16 November 2004 
		
	
	(56) policy in place since 1994
	(57) policy in place since late 1980s

Asylum Seekers

Peter Lilley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people originally granted exceptional leave to remain have been (a) refused and (b) granted indefinite leave to remain in each of the last five years.

Des Browne: holding answer 25 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Asylum Seekers

Graham Stringer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to change the grant regime to local authorities for funding unaccompanied asylum seeking children; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: holding answer 15 November 2004
	The instructions for payment of grant in this financial year 200405 to local authorities supporting unaccompanied asylum seeking children (UASCs) were issued to local government organisations on 10 November 2004. The grant regime is broadly similar to that applying in previous years and allowed a 2.5 per cent. uplift for inflation.

Badger Baiting

Nigel Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the number of badgers killed illegally by badger baiters in each of the last five years.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Binge Drinking

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the steps that have been taken by the brewing and licensed trade industry to combat binge drinking.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

British Crime Survey

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the (a) usefulness and (b) accuracy of the British Crime Survey.

Hazel Blears: The British Crime Survey (BCS), is the most authoritative source for assessing crime levels. It measures the crimes most people experience most of the time and measures peoples' direct experiences of crime. It is not affected by reporting or recording changes and has consistently measured crime the same way since it started in 1981.
	Within Government it is used to inform and monitor policy and to assess performance. Police forces use BCS results to measure statutory performance indicators and target performance. They also compare their local data with BCS findings and use the survey as a tool for designing their own surveys.
	The BCS is an internationally renowned reference work that is used in academia.
	The Home Office has ensured that the survey data are available through the ESRC data archive, and it has also awarded grants for analysis by external academics.
	About 50 external academics have published articles based on BCS data, and more have used it without leading to peer-reviewed publications.
	Statistics from the BCS are released quarterly under the national statistics protocol which means they are assured for quality, timeliness and freedom from political interference. The BCS was reviewed in 2000 (Lynn and Elliot) and all recommendations from the review have been implemented.

Burglaries (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many burglaries there were in each London borough in (a) each year since 2001 and (b) each month to date in 2004.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Business Case Assessments

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has received from the Cabinet Office on the timing of business case assessments in respect of major projects.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Car Thefts (London)

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many car thefts there were in each London borough in (a) each year since 2001 and (b) each month to date in 2004.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Child Pornography

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the steps that have been taken by credit card companies to combat the purchasing of child pornography on the internet.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Child Pornography

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what further steps his Department intends to take to ensure that credit card companies do all they can to combat the purchasing of child pornography on the internet.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Church of England Charities

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for how long he expects Church of England charities to remain excepted charities.

Fiona Mactaggart: The draft Charities Bill would end the system of exceptions from the requirement to register. Initially, excepted charities with an annual income above 100,000 would be required to register. Any decision to lower that threshold would be made only after further consultation with key stakeholders, including the Church of England. Before any plans are drawn up to lower the registration threshold for excepted charities the Government intend to monitor and report on the actual costs and benefits of the registration of those charities with an annual income above 100,000.

Civil Servants (Yorkshire)

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent jobs (a) his Department and (b) its executive agencies had in (i) Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) the City of York in (A) 1997 and (B) the latest year for which figures are available.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Closed Circuit Television

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what schemes exist to provide financial assistance for the extension of closed circuit television in town centres.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Closed Circuit Television

David Atkinson: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of funding for CCTV security cameras was in Bournemouth in each year since 1997; and how many CCTV security cameras were switched off in Bournemouth in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: Between 1997 and 2001 the Home Office provided Bournemouth with 100,463 for Closed Circuit Television systems. Between 2001 and 2004, they received an additional 255,000 for crime reduction initiatives from miscellaneous Home Office funding streams, providing for 176 CCTV cameras.
	The operation of CCTV cameras is a matter for Bournemouth borough council and Dorset police.

Commencement of Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Community Support Officers

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what account the maximum funded cost for a community support officer takes of higher police pay in London.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Community Support Officers

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 188W, on community support officers, for what reasons each of the 31 detentions under the detention power pilot resulted in release after the arrival of a police officer; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Consultancy Projects

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many consultancy firms or companies have been retained by the Department since June 2001; what the projects are for which each has been retained; and what the total is of the fees paid or incurred in each case.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 25 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Consultants

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much expenditure his Department has incurred in each year since 2002 on employing external consultants to deal with the press and public relations of his Department; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Consultants

Michael Weir: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much his Department spent in each year since 2002 on employing (a) external management consultants and (b) external human resources consultants; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Bill O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will ask the director of Ofcom to reply to the letters of 28 June and 11 September from the hon. Member for Normanton relating to correspondence with the Home Secretary.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 10 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. Guy-Blackburn.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my right hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Correspondence

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the letter to him dated 11 October from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton with regard to Mrs. S. Ahmed.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my right hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the Answers of 2 November 2004, Official Report, columns 1912W, on crime, what the figures were for each year between 1997 and 200304.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime

Paddy Tipping: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed (a) per head of population and (b) per police officer in each police force area in England and Wales in (i) 200203 and (ii) 200304.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 17 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) violent crimes and (b) burglaries were (i) reported to and (ii) detected by the Aylesbury Vale Basic Command Unit in (A) 200102, (B) 200203 and (C) 200304.

Hazel Blears: The available information relates to offences recorded and detected in the Aylesbury Vale Basic Command Unit and is given in the tables:
	
		Recorded crime in the Aylesbury Vale Basic Command Unit 200102 1
		
			 Period 200102 Number of offences Number of detections 
		
		
			 Violent crime 1,174 754 
			 All burglary 1,503 223 
		
	
	(58) The data in this table is prior to the introduction of the National Grime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for later years.
	
		Recorded crime in the Aylesbury Vale Basic Command Unit 200203 and 200304
		
			  Number of offences Number of detections 
		
		
			 200203   
			 Violent crime 1,730 976 
			 All burglary 1,616 222 
			
			 200304   
			 Violent crime 2,136 1,156 
			 All burglary 1,932 259 
		
	
	Note:
	1. The data in this table takes account of the introduction of the National Crime Recording Standard in April 2002. These figures are not directly comparable with those for earlier years.

Crime Statistics

Hugh Bayley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 2 November 2004, Official Report, columns 19192W, on crime, how many (a) crimes, (b) burglaries, (c) thefts and (d) vehicle related crimes were reported to the police (i) in Yorkshire and the Humber and (ii) in North Yorkshire in each year since 1999.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime Statistics

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed per head of population in West Derbyshire police force areas in the last five years for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime Statistics

Parmjit Dhanda: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will provide figures relating as closely as possible to the Gloucester constituency for changes in (a) crime and (b) police numbers since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Crime/Sentencing Statistics

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many persons were recalled to custody having been released on home detention curfew in (a) each of the last 12 months and (b) each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Criminal Behaviour

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the fear of being caught is used as a deterrent to would-be offenders.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Criminal Cases Review Commission

Peter Bottomley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the waiting time for consideration of (a) urgent and (b) non-urgent cases by the Criminal Cases Review Commission (CCRC) was in the last period for which figures are available; what estimate he has made of the budget the CCRC would require to have the same capacity in 200506 as in 200405; and what estimate he has made of the resources the CCRC would require to consider (i) priority cases urgently and (ii) non-priority cases within a year.

Paul Goggins: The Criminal Cases Review Commission has always sought ways of minimising its case waiting times and this remains one of its key targets.
	The Commission does not divide applications into urgent and non-urgent. Applications that require no more than five days case work are allocated for review as soon as all the necessary papers are to hand and these account for 51 per cent. of applications. A further 31 per cent. of applications are dealt with on a largely administrative basis, usually because the applicant has yet to exhaust the normal appeals process.
	The remaining applications (18 per cent.) are placed in a queue, distinguishing between those in custody, which have priority and those at liberty. Within those cases awaiting allocation, a small number are accorded priority over others for particular reasons such as age, state of health, deterioration of evidence, witness availability and public interest. Such cases are allocated without delay. This practice continues. At 31 March 2004, the maximum delay before allocation to a caseworker was one year for in custody cases and two years for those at liberty.
	My estimate is that to enable the Commission to achieve the same performance next year as this I would need to provide a broadly similar level of resources for 200506 as I have for 200405. The budgets for 200506 have yet to be delegated and that for the Commission will have to be set in the light of competing priorities.

Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority

Richard Ottaway: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on manning levels at the Criminal Injuries Compensation Authority.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Criminal Records Bureau

Bob Spink: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Criminal Records Bureau (a) average and (b) maximum response time is in (i) Essex and (ii) England.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Deaths (Driving)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many deaths have been caused by (a) dangerous driving, (b) driving under the influence of illegal drugs and (c) driving under the influence of alcohol in (i) west Derbyshire and (ii) the East Midlands in each year since 2001.

David Jamieson: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not available.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Budget Allocations

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been allocated under his Department's budget for central services in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506 for (i) private offices, (ii) the central Secretariat providing support to Ministers and the Permanent Secretary, (iii) the Corporate Resources Directorate, (iv) the Planning and Finance Directorate, (v) the Communications Directorate, (vi) Legal Advisers Branch, (vii) the Prisons Ombudsman's Office and (viii) HM Inspectorate of Prisons; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Contracts

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which non-accounting and non-information technology external organisations which previously held contracts with his Department (a) won new contracts at the culmination of the existing contracts and (b) won new contracts after a period of inactivity with his Department in each of the past four years.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Efficiency

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the change in the number of civil servants in his Department between 199899 and 200304.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Events (Funding)

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Expenditure

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the items that his Department has reported lost or stolen to the police from its buildings and property since 2001.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 20 July 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Opinion Polls

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department in what areas his Department conducted opinion polling in each of the last three years.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Opinion Polls

Jonathan Djanogly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to make available in the Library, the results of the opinion polling carried out by his Department in the last three years.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Policies (South Dorset)

Jim Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set out, with statistical evidence relating as closely as possible to the south Dorset constituency, the effects of changes to departmental policy since 1997 on the south Dorset constituency.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Press Officers

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much was spent by his Department on press officers in each of the past eight years, broken down by grade.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Departmental Staff

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people in his Department earn more than a whole-time equivalent salary of 57,485 per year.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Dispersal Orders

Stephen Hesford: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many dispersal orders have been used in the last year.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Domestic Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce a general fund for victims of domestic violence.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Domestic Violence

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will change the immigration and benefits rules to exempt victims of domestic violence subject to immigration control from the no recourse to public funds requirement.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Domestic Violence

Judy Mallaber: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures the Government are taking to tackle domestic violence in Amber Valley; and how many convictions have been reached in the last year.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Door Staff

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to introduce further penalties for individuals and organisations who fail to comply with Security Industry Authority requirements for the licensing of door staff.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Door Staff

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) organisations and (b) individuals have had action taken against them for failure to comply with Security Industry Authority requirements for the licensing of door staff.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 10 November 2004
	Prosecution of organisations or individuals who have failed to comply with the door supervisor requirements of the Private Security Industry Act 2001 is the responsibility of individual police forces and this information is not held centrally.

Drink Spiking/Drug Rape

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of drink spiking detection or prevention devices; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Drink Spiking/Drug Rape

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the percentage of drug assisted sex attacks that go unreported.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Drink Spiking/Drug Rape

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the prevalence of (a) drink spiking and (b) drug rape following drink spiking.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before prorogation.

Drink Spiking/Drug Rape

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to fund a campaign in the run up to the Christmas party season to alert women to the dangers of leaving drinks unattended.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Drink Spiking/Drug Rape

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which police forces are using the early evidence kits for detection of drugs that may have been used to assist a rape.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Drugs Workers

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how long it has taken on average since January for the Criminal Records Bureau to process an application from a drugs service relating to an individual who wishes to work in a jail in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Exclusion Orders (Licensed Premises)

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many exclusion orders from licensed premises have been granted in England in each of the last 10 years.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Fair Trade

Paul Burstow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether it is his policy to ensure that hospitality within his Department is sourced from fair trade producers wherever possible within the boundaries set by the public procurement rules.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Fines/Fixed Penalties

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of (a) fixed penalties and (b) fines imposed by the courts were collected in full in England and Wales in (i) 200102, (ii) 200203 and (iii) 200304.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Fines/Fixed Penalties

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fixed penalties have been issued to persons by police, other than in motoring cases, in the last year for which figures are available; what the total financial value of fixed penalties is; how much has been paid; and how much remains outstanding.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 25 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Fines/Fixed Penalties

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were issued with a fixed penalty notice in each year since their introduction; and what proportion of those notices was paid in each year, broken down by (a) police force area and (b) type of offence for which the notice was issued.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Freedom of Information Act

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 16 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gambling

Don Foster: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the occasions on which (a) he, and (b) other Ministers in his Department have met representatives of (a) US casino operators, (b) British casino operators and (c) casino operators from other countries to discuss gambling issues, broken down by date of meeting.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gateway Zero

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance his Department has received from the Office of Government Commerce on the timing of Gateway Zero consultations.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Gateway Zero

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the Gateway Zero inquiry into the National Offender Management Service will be completed.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Government Buildings (Disabled Access)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether all government buildings in his Department within the Greater London area are fully accessible to disabled people; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many Green Ministers his Department has had since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 15 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Hate Crime

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's policy is on the prevention of hate crime; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Hate Crime

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) support and (b) resources the Government are providing to the police to tackle hate crimes.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Hate Crime

Shaun Woodward: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's policy is on the collection of data on hate crimes; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Hertfordshire Police Authority

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received concerning the funding settlement for Hertfordshire police authority for 200506.

Hazel Blears: Correspondence has been received from a number of Hertfordshire MPs, on behalf of Hertfordshire police authority, explaining financial pressures on the authority, in advance of the announcement of the provisional funding settlement for 200506.

Hizb at Tahrir

Andrew Dismore: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the activities of Hizb at Tahrir.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Home Detention Curfew Scheme

Alan Duncan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will list offences committed by those released on the Home Detention Curfew Scheme since its inception;
	(2)  what the original offence was of each person released under the Home Detention Curfew Scheme since its inception; and what the average sentence (a) imposed and (b) served was, broken down by original offence.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 19 July 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Home Detention Curfew Scheme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by prisoners while released on the home detention curfew scheme since January 1999; what the category of each offence was; and on how many occasions the offence committed was similar in character to that for which the prisoner had originally been sentenced.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Home Detention Curfew Scheme

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners have been released on the home detention curfew scheme since January 1999; what the categories of offences were for which they had been sentenced; how many such prisoners were released in each category; and what the average sentence received was in relation to each category.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Homeland Security

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures he is planning to enhance UK resilience and homeland security over the next (a) two and (b) five years.

David Blunkett: holding answer 14 October 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Hospital Admissions (Excessive Alcohol)

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of hospital admissions in the accident and emergency departments surveyed in the summer alcohol enforcement campaign were connected with excessive alcohol consumption.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Housing

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the impact on police funding of the Government's proposals for housing growth in the South Midlands and Milton Keynes area.

Keith Hill: I have been asked to reply.
	The Office of the Deputy Prime Minister and the Home Office are working together to assist police authorities in planning future needs in the Milton Keynes-South Midlands (MKSM) Growth Area.
	Funding for policing is based on an assessment of the relative need for police resources across the 43 police areas in England and Wales. That assessment is based on the police funding formula, which takes account of population data and socio-demographic factors including density, sparsity and deprivation.
	In addition, the three relevant police forces (Thames Valley, Northamptonshire and Bedfordshire) have recently commenced a joint project to consider the implications for policing of the proposals contained within the revised draft MKSM sub-regional strategy. This includes community safety (as understood in the context of section 17 of the Crime and Disorder Act 1998 and subsequently by Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships) particularly in relation to the physical design of neighbourhoods and infrastructure, but also the wider context of crime, disorder and accident reduction.

Identity Cards

John Bercow: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many full-time equivalent consultants from PA Consulting are advising his Department on the design of the National Identity Card Programme; what the average annual cost per consultant is; what the total cost of the consultants is; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the unit cost of a biometric identity card reader;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the potential savings in identity fraud costs that may be consequent on development of the identity card scheme;
	(3)  which (a) employers and (b) interested groups are being consulted about the design of the identity card verification service;
	(4)  if he will publish the conclusions of his Department's Science and Technology Reference Group's examination of the identity card programme;
	(5)  through which stages of the Office of Government Commerce's Gateway process the identity cards project has passed;
	(6)  what research he has commissioned into the effects of identity cards in reducing terrorism.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will publish the cost estimates for identity card readers which have been incorporated into work with stakeholders on benefits.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment his Department has made of whether cost savings are associated with the issue of a free-standing identity card compared to a combined passport and identity card.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Identity Cards

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the annual cost of the identity card scheme announced by his Department on 2 November includes the cost of adding visual verification features to the face of the card; and what visual verification options are under consideration.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Identity Cards

Harry Cohen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps, over what timescale, are being taken to have barcodes in place in UK passports; what information the barcode would represent; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: At present, the UK Passport Service does not plan to include barcodes in British passports. All British passports incorporate a machine readable zone containing essential passport holder details in compliance with IACO standards.

Illegal Workers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the five most common nationalities of individuals found to be working illegally in the UK were in the last period for which figures are available.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many illegal entrants have been (a) discovered in vehicles at Dover, (b) detained at Eurostar at Waterloo and (c) discovered within the area surrounding Dover in each of the last 12 months.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prosecutions have been brought in the last 24 months against employers for employing an illegal immigrant; and what penalties were imposed.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of vehicles arriving at Dover are searched with a view to discovering illegal immigrants.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what use has been made of mobile task-forces as part of an intelligence-led control of immigration.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) airline liaison officers and (b) immigration officials have been stationed abroad in each year since 1997, broken down by country.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many referrals of (a) immigration, (b) asylum and (c) naturalisation cases to the Immigration and Nationality Directorate by hon. Members there have been in each year since 2001, broken down by constituency.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Immigration Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many individuals were (a) arrested and (b) removed from the country as a result of enforcement operations conducted by the Immigration Service in 200304.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department which funding streams have been allocated by his Department using a funding formula which includes rankings or scores on the Index of Multiple Deprivation 2000; and if he will list the amount of funding allocated in such a way (a) nationally by the Department or (b) to all Government sponsored bodies reporting to the Department.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Indymedia

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 11 November 2004, Official Report, column 892W, on Indymedia, under what legal provisions seizure of private property in the UK by foreign law enforcement agencies without authorisation from UK law enforcement can be carried out.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Infection Training

Andrew Lansley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to make infection control induction training mandatory for all NHS medical staff; when this training will begin; and what the estimated cost of this training will be per year.

John Hutton: National health service medical staff already receive training on infection control and trusts should provide suitable induction training for all staff.

Justice and Home Affairs Council

Jimmy Hood: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the outcome was of the Justice and Home Affairs Council held on 25 to 26 October; what the Government's stance was on the issues discussed, including its voting record; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Juvenile Offenders

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many crimes were committed by juvenile offenders in (a) Haltemprice and Howden, (b) the East Riding of Yorkshire and (c) the Humberside police authority area in each of the last four quarters for which figures are available; and how many cautions were issued.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Knives

Jenny Tonge: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with (a) police and (b) local authorities regarding people carrying knives.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mental Health Act

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will take steps to ensure that each police division has access to a designated place of safety as defined by the Mental Health Act 1983.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Methadone (Prisons)

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many methadone-related suicides there have been in prisons in each year since 1997.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Migrant Workers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department into how many languages the leaflets produced for migrant workers, resulting from recommendations from the Operation Gangmaster, have been translated.

Des Browne: Operation Gangmaster is a Government initiative designed to bring different Departments and agencies together to tackle abuses by rogue labour providers. This initiative has not produced any specific recommendations to translate information for migrant workers. However, the Government have been active in making translated information available and has had regard to recommendations previously made on this issue by the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs Committee, of which my hon. Friend is a member.
	Earlier this year, the Home Office produced a leaflet and guidance notes for applicants to the accession worker registration scheme in relevant languages. These outlined the details of the scheme and gave advice to workers rights. The Trades Union Congress also produced their own leaflet on workers' rights and the Home Office met the cost of producing translations of this leaflet in Hungarian, Estonian, Czech, Latvian, Slovak and Polish.
	In response to specific concerns about the mistreatment of workers, the Department for Trade and Industry (DTI) and the Foreign and Commonwealth Office have worked with the Portuguese community and the TUC to produce leaflets explaining the rights of workers in Portuguese. The DTI has also worked with the Polish and Lithuanian Governments to produce bilingual leaflets on employment rights for their nationals. These were launched in June.

Migrant Workers

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what discussions he has had with the National Association of Citizen Advice Bureaux on the issuing of advice to migrant workers.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Ministerial Expenses

Mark Prisk: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the Department spent on (a) maintenance, (b) renovation, (c) council tax and (d) running costs of residential properties used by Ministers and officials in each year since 1997.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mobile Phones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action members of the public who see drivers using mobile phones whilst driving should take.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Mobile Phones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will set up a free phone number that members of the public can ring in to give the car registration numbers of those drivers who break the law on using mobile phones while driving.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Mobile Phones

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what action the appropriate authorities should take when a member of the public makes a complaint against a driver who was using a mobile phone while driving.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Motoring Offence Fines

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were issued fines for motoring offences in each year since 1997; and what proportion of those fines were paid in each year.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Multiculturalism

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the Government's strategy is further to improve integration and boost multiculturalism among young British citizens.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons are for the introduction of the concept of contestability within the National Offender Management Service.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will place in the Library a copy of the risk assessment that has been carried out in respect of the implementation of National Offender Management Service.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 16 November 2004
	As part of the setting up of the National Offender Management Service, a comprehensive risk management strategy has been established, providing for the assessment, monitoring and managing of risks across the change programme. In keeping with normal practice across Government, it is not intended to publish the findings from these assessments.

National Offender Management Service

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what risk assessment he has carried out on (a) prison capacity and (b) workload at the National Offender Management Service; and what the outcome was.

Paul Goggins: As part of the setting up of the National Offender Management Service (NOMS), a comprehensive risk management strategy has been established, providing for the assessment, monitoring and managing of risks across the change programme. The results have been agreed with the NOMS directors and reported to the NOMS board and to other governance bodies within the Home Office.
	The assessments cover all aspects of the programme, including policy, implementation, people and process issues. The registers are continually updated as the programme evolves and the risks change.

National Offender Management Service

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the business case in respect of the National Offender Management Service will be published.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

National Probation Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the reasons were for the delay in completing the National Probation Service Pay and Reward Review.

Paul Goggins: The Employers' Side of the National Probation Service (NPS) National Negotiating Committee (NNC) has been meeting with the Trade Union Side about the introduction of new pay and grading arrangements. The discussions have been wide-ranging and complex. Until very recently it was expected, by both sides, that the 200405 annual pay settlement would be subsumed within any agreement reached. This has not proved possible. Discussions will continue.

Nationality Applications

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many applications for the granting of British nationality are waiting to be dealt with by his Department.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

New EU Members

Douglas Hogg: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many citizens from the new members of the European Union have registered for work in Britain in each of the last five months; and how many have registered under contractors' arrangements.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

OASys

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in rolling out the OASys offender assessment tool in (a) prisons and (b) probation; how many prisons have access to the system; when roll-out will be complete; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Offences Statistics

Dominic Grieve: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were charged with offences in each month since 1 July 2003.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Open Prisons

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many open prisons there are in the United Kingdom; and how many prisoners have absconded from open prisons in the last year.

Paul Goggins: On 31 October 2004, there were 15 establishments in England and Wales designated as open prisons: Askham Grange, East Sutton Park, Ford, Grendon/Spring Hill, Hewell Grange, Hollesley Bay, Kirkham, Leyhill, Moorland Open, North Sea Camp, Standford Hill, Sudbury, Thorn Cross, Usk/Prescoed and Wealstun. In the 12 months to 31 October 2004 1,002 absconds were reported from open prisons.
	Those prisoners who choose to abuse the trust placed in them, leaving the prison without authority, are considered to have absconded rather than escaped, because they have not had to breach significant security measures.
	Information about prisons in Scotland and Northern Ireland is available from the Scottish Executive and Northern Ireland Office respectively.

Open Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were committed by prisoners who escaped from open prisons in the last three years.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Open Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoner escapes there have been from open prisons in England and Wales in the last three years.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Open Prisons

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners are absent without authorisation from prisons in England and Wales; and how many were in open prisons when they absconded.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Paedophiles

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he is taking to protect children from paedophiles operating on the internet.

Paul Goggins: The Government is determined to ensure that children are protected from the insidious use of the internet by paedophiles.
	In 2001 The Home Secretary's Task Force on Child Protection on the Internet was established, with the aim of making the UK the best and safest place in the world for children to use the internet, and to help protect children the world over from abuse fuelled by criminal misuse of new technologies. Much good work has been initiated through the Task Force to assist in working towards these objectives.
	The Task Force has recently launched its fourth national awareness campaign to help keep children safe on the internet, and Government has spent over 3 million on the development of these campaigns. We have also provided guidance for young people, as well as parents and carers. In 2003 the Task Force developed and published models of good practice for providers of chat, instant messaging and web services, the first of their kind in the world. These encourage clear and accessible safety messages, advice and user-friendly ways of reporting abuse. The Task Force is currently reviewing these models. This year, following discussions with the Task Force, the UK mobile operators published a self-regulatory Code of Practice for new forms of content on mobile phone services, and furthermore a Code of Practice has also been developed by the mobile operators on passive location based services. We have also been working with industry to look at the issues which are raised by moderation in interactive services (such as chat rooms), and a draft good practice model for companies offering such moderation is nearing completion. These are just some of the examples of the work of the Task Force in seeking to protect children online.
	The Government is also ensuring that legislation provides an adequate deterrent to those who might consider doing harm to children. The Sexual Offences Act introduced a new criminal offence, developed by the Task Force, to tackle the grooming of children by paedophiles online or offline. The Act also included the creation of a Risk of Sexual Harm Order which relates to behaviour towards a child for an illegal or harmful sexual purpose.
	Law enforcement agencies in the UK are at the cutting edge of developing new techniques to detect and combat paedophile activity on the internet. We fully support effective intelligence-led policing to help forces effectively investigate paedophiles using the internet. In addition the Home Office is also considering with the Association of Chief Police Officers as part of the police reform agenda, how crimes which by their nature are not confined to geographical force areas, such as online paedophilia, are best dealt with within force structures.
	The Government is also aware that child abuse on line is an international problem that can only be combated through effective international co-operation. We continue to work within international fora to encourage practical and other measures to remove images of child abuse wherever they are hosted, and to increase child safety online.

Parliamentary Questions

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason he has not yet answered the question tabled on 7 September by the right hon. Member for Manchester, Gorton, ref 187980, with regard to the commencement of the remainder of the Adoption and Children Act 2002, with particular reference to section 112.

David Blunkett: I replied to my right hon. Friend on 15 November 2004, Official Report, column 1084W.

Parliamentary Questions

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to make a substantive response to the question tabled by the hon. Member for Cambridge for named day answer on 22 July, reference 184736.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will answer the question from the hon. Member dated 28 June, ref. 181105.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the written question tabled by the hon. Member for Woking for answer on 2 November 2004, reference 195473.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the written questions with references (a) 195466, (b) 195467 and (c) 195469 to 195472, tabled by the hon. Member for Woking for answer on 1 November 2004.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the written questions tabled by the hon. Member for Woking for answer on 25 October 2004, references 193310 to 193312.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parliamentary Questions

Humfrey Malins: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he will reply to the written questions tabled by the hon. Member for Woking for answer on 21 October 2004, references (a) 193248 to 193255, (b) 193257, (c) 193262, (d) 193264 and (e) 193265.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Parole Board

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department where the video showing the Parole Board at work, produced during 200203, is available.

Paul Goggins: Extracts of the Parole Board video can be found on the Parole Board website, which is www.paroleboard.gov.uk. Alternatively, copies of the video are available from the Parole Board, for a fee of 5.00.

Parole Board

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the reasons for the difference between the number of prisoners eligible for parole and the number of those who have applied since 2000.

Paul Goggins: The table sets out the number of prisoners each year since 200001 who have been eligible to apply for parole and who have declined to do so. No analysis has been made of the reasons why prisoners decline to apply for parole.
	
		
			  200001 200102 200203 
		
		
			 Total number of prisoners eligible for parole 6,662 6,640 7,032 
			 Number of prisoners who decline to apply for parole 1,086 1,126 1,020 
			 Percentage of prisoners who decline to apply for parole 16.3 17 14.5

Passport Checks

John Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the average time UK and other EU arriving passengers have to wait to pass through immigration compared with 12 months ago.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police Basic Command Units there were in each of the last six years; and how many BCUs he estimates there will be in (a) 200304, (b) 200405 and (c) 200506.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Damian Green: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the effect of the changes in the regime for local authority funding on the ability of Kent police to meet their crime reduction target; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether an assessment has been made of the extent of racist attitudes within the police service.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made in the integration of police IT systems.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what response the police service has made to the review of the special priority payments; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made towards reaching the target of seven per cent. ethnic minority police officers by 2009; and what measures (a) are in place and (b) will be introduced to reach the target.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Andy Reed: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what representations he has received about pension payments for Leicestershire police authority for the year 200506; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance is available to the police on appropriate interviewing methods for (a) prisoners who are witnesses in historical sex abuse cases and (b) vulnerable or intimidated witnesses.

Hazel Blears: Guidance for police on appropriate techniques for investigating allegations of historical child abuse is included in the Senior Investigating Officer's Handbookthe Investigation of Historical/institutional Child Abuse produced by the Association of Chief Police Officers. This includes prisoners. This is currently being reviewed to ensure the guidance is kept up to date and includes lessons to be learnt from more recent cases.
	Guidance on interviewing vulnerable or intimidated witnesses is contained in Achieving Best Evidence in Criminal Proceedings: Guidance for Vulnerable or Intimidated Witnesses, including Children, issued in January 2002. This guidance became operational in May 2002 when it superseded Memorandum of Good Practice on Video Recorded Interviews with Child Witnesses for Criminal Proceedings. Victims in sexual offence proceedings are considered to be vulnerable. Other witnesses in these casesbut not the accusedmay also be treated as vulnerable.

Police

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether his Department has conducted an audit of police compliance with guidelines for the interviewing of prisoners in historical sex abuse cases.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on policing per head of population in each police force in England and Wales in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Anthony D Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how police numbers in Great Yarmouth have changed in each year since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) recorded crimes, (b) violent crimes, (c) burglaries and (d) vehicle thefts there were in each of the last 10 years in the Bury division of the Greater Manchester police.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what change there has been in the funding of Staffordshire police since 1997.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Complaints Commission

Lady Hermon: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the total cost of (a) salaries and (b) travel expenses for those employed in the office of the Police Complaints Commission for England and Wales has been in each of the last three years.

Hazel Blears: It is assumed that the question refers to the Independent Police Complaints Commission (IPCC) which was established under the Police Reform Act 2002 and commenced operations on 1 April 2004. It replaced the Police Complaints Authority (PCA) which ceased operations on 31 March 2004.
	Figures on salaries for the PCA from 200001 to 200203 are in the table. Information on travel expenses for those years is not available.
	
		
			 PCA salary costs 
		
		
			 200203 2,985,859 
			 200102 2,589,239 
			 200001 2,106,788

Police Funding

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what additional funding is available to police authorities from central funds to implement (a) the Regulation of Investigatory Powers Act 2000 and (b) the Freedom of Information Act 2000.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Funding

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what proportion of police funding in each local police authority area was provided by (a) the Government and (b) council tax in each of the last four years.

Hazel Blears: I refer the hon. Member to the reply I gave to the right hon. Member for Haltemprice and Howden (David Davis) on 15 June 2004, Official Report, column 870W.

Police Funding

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the estimated cost to police authorities is in this financial year of increased British Medical Association recommended charges for police surgeons.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Funding

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much the police received in funding from the Government in (a) 1997 and (b) 2003.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Funding

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been allocated to police funding in each year since 2001.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Recruits

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what provision is made in the training schedule for new police recruits for dealing with domestic violence; whether the schedule has been changed in terms of (a) time allocation and (b) content during the past two years; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Police Training

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the level of budget change for the Centrex Training Centre in Harrogate is for 200405; and what proposed changes in staffing and recruitment will result from the changes.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 17 June 2004
	CENTREX's overall resource budget for 200405 is 74.8 million. Last year the budget was 91.0 million, and CENTREX are also liable to pay VAT in this year, which they did not have to pay last year. The Home Office does not provide grant-in-aid by individual centre. I understand that, in order to realise efficiency savings and cost reductions, staff numbers in Harrogate have been reduced by approximately 18, primarily through redeployment.

Police Training

Helen Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the future of the police training centre at Bruche, Warrington.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Policing

Helen Southworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the (a) level of police grant, (b) total police budget, including itemised special project funding and (c) the number of police officers and community support officers in Cheshire was in each of the last seven years.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Policing

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) police officers and (b) community support officers have been employed by Nottinghamshire Constabulary in each year since 1997 for which figures are available.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Ports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many weapons have been seized at ports of entry to the United Kingdom in each year since 1997, broken down by (a) type of weapon and (b) location of seizure.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Ports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much has been spent on providing security at ports in each year since 1997, broken down by location.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Ports

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) immigration and (b) security officials have been based at each major port of entry to the United Kingdom, broken down by location, in each year since 1997.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Press Officers

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers are employed in his Department; and how many were employed in each year since 199697.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 1 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Press Officers

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press officers the Department has employed in each of the past five years.

Fiona Mactaggart: holding answer 4 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Press Releases

Pete Wishart: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many press releases have been issued by his Department in each month of 2004; and if he will make a statement.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prison Building Programme

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department on what grounds he will not publish the case he is making to the Treasury to close smaller prisons and build larger prisons.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prison Education Programmes

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many hours per week on average (a) basic skills training and (b) purposeful activity are undertaken per inmate at each (i) prison and (ii) young offenders institution; and what his targets are for each establishment.

Paul Goggins: The average number of weekly hours spent by prisoners on basic skills and overall purposeful activity is shown in the table.
	While prisons are not allocated targets for the number of basic skills hours per prisoner, each establishment's target for purposeful activity is shown.
	A number of establishments listed have not recorded their basic skills hours. This is because the activities involved may be counted differently at local level under other categories of purposeful activity, and their inclusion would skew the representation of the table. These non-recording establishments are still delivering basic skills awards.
	The way the Prison Service measures progress in prisoner education has changed from the hours of education-related purposeful activity, to achievements which reflect positive outcomes for prisoners prior to release. In recent years Key Performance Indicators have been introduced to measure the number of prisoners achieving basic skills qualifications and also the number leaving prison with an education, training or employment place arranged.
	
		
			 Establishment  Function Basic and key skills up Purposeful activity Target 
		
		
			 Acklington Category C 1.2 25.1 26.0 
			 Albany Category B 4.6 20.7 21.0 
			 Altcourse Male local (59) 36.5 32.0 
			 Ashfield Male juvenile (59) 30.8 27.0 
			 Ashwell Category C 0.6 31.5 33.0 
			 Askham Grange Female open 2.6 41.9 41.0 
			 Aylesbury Male closed young offender (59) 18.8 19.0 
			 Bedford Male local 0.6 19.3 18.5 
			 Belmarsh Male local (59) 16.2 16.5 
			 Birmingham Male local 1.4 18.0 20.0 
			 Blakenhurst Male local 0.9 18.8 18.5 
			 Blantyre House Semi open 1.1 45.5 40.0 
			 Blundeston Category C (59) 24.8 25.0 
			 Brinsford Male closed young offender 7.8 29.0 28.0 
			 Bristol Male local 1.7 22,1 22.0 
			 Brixton Male local 0.4 14.6 17.0 
			 Brockhill Female local 5.0 24.2 18.0 
			 Buckley Hall Female closed 2.0 31.1 32.5 
			 Bullingdon Male local 1.3 18.9 18.0 
			 Bullwood Hall Female closed (59) 28.2 28.0 
			 Camp Hill Category C (59) 21.8 22.0 
			 Canterbury Category C (59) 21.5 22.0 
			 Cardiff Male local 0.5 23.7 20.0 
			 Castington Male closed young offender 6.6 27.2 21.7 
			 Channings Wood Category C 3.0 22.3 33.0 
			 Chelmsford Male local (59) 19.6 18.0 
			 Coldingley Category C 0.6 31.1 37.0 
			 Cookham Wood Female closed (59) 24.9 24.0 
			 Dartmoor Category C 0.9 24.5 25.0 
			 Deerbolt Male closed young offender 4.0 23.0 24.0 
			 Doncaster Male local 1.4 20.5 22.0 
			 Dorchester Male local 0.9 16.3 19.0 
			 Dovegate Category B (59) 25.1 35.0 
			 Downview Female closed 1.5 29.3 26.0 
			 Drake Hall Semi open 2.4 34.5 33.5 
			 Durham Male local 0.9 17.5 20.0 
			 East Sutton Park Female open (59) 46.6 45.0 
			 Eastwood Park Female local 0.5 18.6 22.0 
			 Elmley Male local 2.7 18.6 19.0 
			 Erlestoke Category C 1.4 26.6 27.0 
			 Everthorpe Category C 0.6 26.7 27.0 
			 Exeter Male local 1.4 23.5 22.5 
			 Featherstone Category C (59) 22.4 25.0 
			 Feltham Male closed young offender 1.0 28.7 26.0 
			 Ford Male open 0.8 37.7 40.0 
			 Forest Bank Male local 1.9 19.7 24.0 
			 Foston Hall Female closed (59) 25.4 26.0 
			 Frankland Dispersal 3.9 22.3 22.5 
			 Full Sutton Dispersal (59) 16.0 18.0 
			 Garth Category B 0.7 23.1 24.0 
			 Gartree Category B (59) 28.7 30.0 
			 Glen Parva Male closed young offender 2.0 17.5 20.0 
			 Gloucester Male local (59) 20.3 21.0 
			 Grendon Category B 0.4 32.0 25.0 
			 Guys Marsh Category C 0.9 24.4 23.0 
			 Haverigg Category C 0.4 31.1 31.0 
			 Hewell Grange Male open 0.1 41.8 42.5 
			 Edmunds Hill Female local 1.9 28.4 24.0 
			 High down Category B 0.7 13.9 18.1 
			 Highpoint Category C 1.6 21.9 21.0 
			 Hindley Male closed young offender 3.7 32.0 34.0 
			 Hollesley Bay Male open (59) 40.7 38.0 
			 Holloway Female local 0.8 19.7 20.0 
			 Holme House Male local 3.0 15.7 17.0 
			 Hull Male local 1.0 15.8 17.0 
			 Huntercombe Male juvenile 2.7 30.1 30.0 
			 Kingston Category B 0.4 26.8 26.0 
			 Kirkham Male open (59) 41.9 41.0 
			 Kirklevington Semi open (59) 53.0 52.0 
			 Lancaster Category C 1.4 25.6 25.0 
			 Lancaster Farms Male closed young offender 2.2 26.1 27.0 
			 Latchmere House Semi open 0.1 57.9 60.0 
			 Leeds Male local 0.7 20.0 20.0 
			 Leicester Male local 1.5 15.8 23.0 
			 Lewes Male local 2.2 22.2 20.5 
			 Leyhill Male open 2.2 37.7 38.0 
			 Lincoln Male local 2.5 21.2 20.0 
			 Lindholme Category C 1.5 22.4 27.0 
			 Littlehey Category C 0.7 20.5 23.0 
			 Liverpool Male local 0.9 23.1 20.0 
			 Long Lartin Dispersal 0.5 19.6 18.0 
			 Low Newton Female local 1.7 25.0 24.5 
			 Lowdham Grange Category B 0.4 26.8 28.0 
			 Maidstone Category C (59) 21.9 21.0 
			 Manchester Male local 1.0 19.0 20.0 
			 Moorland Category C 0.3 27.9 30.0 
			 Morton Hall Semi open (59) 30.7 32.0 
			 New Hall Female local 1.2 25.6 24.0 
			 North Sea Camp Male open 2.6 39.9 39.0 
			 Northallerton Male closed young offender 3.3 23.4 26.0 
			 Norwich Male local 0.7 21.4 20.0 
			 Nottingham Male local 0.6 20.3 19.0 
			 Onley Category C 0.3 25.9 25.0 
			 Parc Male local (59) 30.3 32.0 
			 Parkhurst Category B 1.7 21.3 21.0 
			 Pentonville Male local 0.3 12.8 17.0 
			 Portland Male closed young offender 3.0 20.1 23.1 
			 Preston Male local 0.6 21.7 21.0 
			 Ranby Category C (59) 24.6 26.0 
			 Reading Male closed young offender (59) 19.8 20.0 
			 Risley Category C 3.2 24.0 25.0 
			 Rochester Male closed young offender (59) 21.6 25.0 
			 Wealstun Category C 1.8 31.8 29.0 
			 Rye Hill Category B 3.1 23.2 30.0 
			 Send Female closed (59) 31.4 30.0 
			 Shepton Mallet Category C (59) 24.7 26.0 
			 Shrewsbury Male local (59) 19.6 20.0 
			 Stafford Category C 1.2 25.9 26.0 
			 Standford Hill Male open 0.4 36.1 40.0 
			 Stocken Category C 1.3 25.7 26.0 
			 Stoke Heath Male closed young offender 4.5 17.5 26.0 
			 Styal Female local (59) 24.0 22.5 
			 Sudbury Male open 0.9 20.7 39.0 
			 Swaleside Category B 1.4 26.5 26.0 
			 Swansea Male local (59) 23.1 21.0 
			 Swinfen Hall Male closed young offender 5.8 25.2 26.0 
			 Mount Category C 2.0 20.4 22.0 
			 Verne Category C (59) 31.6 29.0 
			 Thorn Cross Male open young offender 2.3 42.5 42.0 
			 Usk Category C 1.8 36.6 36.0 
			 Wakefield Dispersal 2.0 16.4 19.0 
			 Wandsworth Male local (59) 15.7 21.0 
			 Warren Hill Male juvenile 0.3 25.9 25.0 
			 Wayland Category C (59) 26.2 25.0 
			 Weare Category C 1.1 19.2 20.0 
			 Wellingborough Category C (59) 18.9 29.0 
			 Werrington Male juvenile (59) 30.5 30.0 
			 Wetherby Male juvenile 6.6 29.0 30.0 
			 Whatton Category C (59) 26.5 30.0 
			 Whitemoor Dispersal 2.0 21.3 20.5 
			 Winchester Male local 0.6 21.8 20.0 
			 Wolds Category C 1.0 29.4 30.0 
			 Wormwood Scrubs Male local 2.0 23.5 22.0 
			 Wymott Category C 0.7 28.3 30.0 
		
	
	(59) Not recorded.

Prison Population

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many reports his Department has commissioned regarding (a) sentencing and (b) the management of offenders since 1997; on what dates these reports were commissioned; who carried out the reviews; at what cost; and when his Department received each report.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prison Service Advertisements

Sandra Gidley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria were used to allow advertisements in prison catering by HM Prison Service; what revenue was raised from advertising; and what the total cost was of the publication.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisoners

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners there are, broken down by category of offence.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the number of prisoners serving short sentences has increased.

Paul Goggins: Changes in the number of prisoners serving short sentences are affected by custody rates, average sentence lengths, the number of people sentenced, and seasonal factors such as the reduction in the number of court sitting days over bank holiday periods.

Prisons

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what (a) the sick arrangements and (b) holiday entitlements are for staff at each privately run prison establishment.

Paul Goggins: There are currently four contractors operating privately run prison establishments.
	Each contractor has different sick management arrangements and holiday entitlements for their staff in the various grades they employ.
	Staff terms and conditions are a matter between each Contractor and its staff. There are no minimum requirements set down in any contract.
	Detailed information can be found in the following tables.
	
		(a) Sick arrangements at each privately run prison
		
			  Establishment  Period of service Sick arrangements (paid in any 12 month period) 
		
		
			 HMP Parc Management  
			  First year 12 weeks 
			  After 1 year 18 weeks 
			  After 2 years 18 weeks 
			  After 5 years 26 weeks 
			  PCO  
			  First year 6 weeks 
			  After 1 year 12 weeks 
			  After 2 years 12 weeks 
			  After 5 years 18 weeks 
			 HMP Bronzefield, HMP Peterborough Less than 6 months Nil days paid 
			  6 months1 year 5 days 
			  12 years 40 days 
			  25 years 80 days 
			  5 years plus 130 days 
			 HMP Forest Bank Less than 1 year service 20 days 
			  12 years 40 days 
			  25 years 80 days 
			  5 years or more 26 weeks 
			 HMPAshfield, HMP Dovegate, HMP and YOI  Doncaster, HMP Lowdham Grange First year 30 days limited to 10 days in the first 6 months 
			  After 1 year 30 days 
			  After 2 years 40 days 
			  After 5 years 50 days 
			 HMP Altcourse, HMP Rye Hill, HMP Wolds First year 6 weeks 
			  After 2 years 8 weeks 
			  After 5 years 10 weeks 
			  After 10 years 12 weeks 
		
	
	
		(b) Holiday entitlements at each privately run prison
		
			 Establishment Grade Holiday entitlements 
		
		
			 HMP Parc PCO grades 20 days + bank holidays 
			  Management 25 days + bank holidays 
			 HMP Bronzefield, HMP Peterborough, HMP Forest Bank Directors 25 days + bank holidays 
			  Management 23 days + bank holidays 
			  PCO grades 20 increasing by 2 days for every five years served. + bank holidays 
			 HMP Ashfield PCO grades 20 + bank holidays 
			  Management 25 + bank holidays 
			 HMP Dovegate PCO grades 17 + bank holidays in year 1 19 + bank holidays after 1 year 
			  Management 25 + bank holidays 
			 HMP and YOI Doncaster PCO grades 18 + bank holidays 
			  Management 25 + bank holidays 
			 HMP Lowdham Grange PCO grades 20 + bank holidays 
			  Management 22 + bank holidays 
			 HMP Altcourse, HMP Rye Hill, HMP Wolds PCO grades 4 weeks and 2 days rising to 5 weeks and 2 days after 5 years 
			  Management 4 weeks and 2 days rising to 5 weeks and 2 days after 5 years

Prisons

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he has set a target for the maximum and average times to access drug treatment for a prisoner leaving prison when they have been receiving drug treatment in prison; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my right. hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what assessment he has made of the prevalence of drug abuse in prisons in the Greater London area.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of prisoners interviewed by the police in relation to historical sex abuse cases were taken to (a) an external location and (b) a specially equipped suite for their interview in each of the last five years.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list (a) the running costs for each establishment in the prison service and (b) the average number of prisoners held at that establishment in each of the last three financial years for which figures are available.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 16 November 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what proportion of prisoners who entered drug rehabilitation programmes in the last 12 months for which figures are available went on to complete those programmes; and what proportion failed to complete;
	(2)  what proportion of prisoners who were given detoxification in the last 12 months for which figures are available entered one of the Prison Service's drug rehabilitation programmes.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many fires there were in prisons between 1 January and the end of October, broken down by prison; and whether (a) prison staff and (b) prisoners were hurt in each case.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisons are fitted with sprinkler equipment; and which areas of each prison are protected by the sprinkler system.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used to determine whether sprinkler equipment should be installed in prisons and detention centres.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what criteria are used to determine which fire authority is responsible for each prison and detention centre.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will commission an independent review of the Prison Service fire advisers.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how the Fire Safety Section of the Prison Service has been restructured; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer to the hon. Member for Peterborough (Mrs. Clark) of 2 November 2004, Official Report, column 196W, on prisons, what criteria are used to determine which fire fighting equipment is available in each prison; and what assessment he makes of (a) the materials used in the construction of, (b) the location of and (c) the water pressure available in the vicinity of prisons and detention centres in making such decisions.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of (a) how much it would cost and (b) how long it would take to install sprinkler equipment in all prisons and detention centres.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Prisons (Fire Safety)

Elfyn Llwyd: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how many prisons have been inspected under the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations in each of the last five years; and how many were found to be fully compliant;
	(2)  how many prison inspections under the Fire Precautions (Workplace) Regulations are planned for 200405.

Paul Goggins: The number of inspections of prisons in England and Wales under the Fire Precautions (Workplace) (FP(WP)) Regulations in each if the last five years was as follows:
	
		
			  Number of Inspections 
		
		
			 19992000 17 
			 200001 34 
			 200102 27 
			 200203 5 
			 200304 5 
		
	
	It is only possible to say that a premise is compliant at the time of the inspection. The FP(WP) regulations place a duty on the responsible person to review the risk assessment whenever there is a change in conditions.
	The prisons to be inspected in 200405 are:
	Haslar1
	Haverigg
	Castington
	Acklington
	Dover1
	Leeds
	Askham Grange
	Durham
	Garth
	Wymott
	Northallerton
	1 Indicates an immigration removal centre operated by the Prison Service on behalf of the Immigration and Nationality Directorate.

Private Finance Initiatives

George Osborne: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will list the private finance initiative arrangements in which the Department is engaged; what the total cost of each arrangement is (a) over its lifetime and (b) in each year of its operation; and how the arrangement appears in the Department's public accounts.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Hostels

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what plans he has to ensure that probation hostel resources are targeted at (a) very high risk and (b) high risk offenders.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Hostels

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many places were available in probation hostels in England and Wales on the latest date for which figures are available; and how many were occupied by high-risk offenders.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Probation Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether a business case has been prepared in respect of the Probation Service Workload Management Tool.

Paul Goggins: An initial business case for the development and piloting of the Work Measurement Tool ( WMT) was agreed in August 2002. Since that time the tool has been developed by a user group comprising representatives from eight probation areas, Napo, Unison and the Probation Boards Association. The Tool was then formally piloted within five areas.
	A full meeting, involving the National Offender Manager, National Probation Directors, Chief Officers, the trade unions and members of the user group took place on 15 October 2004 and identified the next steps for the WMT. As a result of this meeting the Office of Government Commerce has been invited to carry out a health check of the WMT and review the business case for its future development and use. This work is currently being undertaken.

Probation Service

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reasons the Probation Service Pay and Reward Review was not implemented in April.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Proceeds of Crime Act

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money has been recovered under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002; and if he will introduce further legislation to increase the powers of the (a) police and (b) courts to seize all (i) property and (ii) money gained from illegal activities.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Racial Offences

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many racially aggravated offences have taken place in the Greater London area in each of the last three years.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Re-offending

Adam Price: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on Government funding for initiatives to reduce re-offending by individuals in custody.

Paul Goggins: The Government are committed to reducing re-offending and, since 1997 have invested significant new funding to support offenders' rehabilitation and resettlement.
	Offenders in custody have achieved over 130,000 basic skills awards since April 2001. Funding for this activity is 82 million in 200405. Since April 2003 over 14 million per year has been invested in the Custody to Work initiative, which aims to increase the number of prisoners who have education, training or employment places and stable accommodation on release. Additional new prison funding to deal with drugs has also risen to nearly 70 million this year. A further 55 million has also been made available for throughcare and aftercare as part of the drug interventions programme to all DAT partnerships in England and Wales from April 2004.

Recorded Offences (Knives)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recorded offences were committed, in each of the last five years, in which knives were used.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Recorded Offences (Knives)

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether he plans to (a) increase the penalties for carrying knives in public and (b) bring forward proposals for revising the sentencing guidelines to magistrates and judges in such cases; and if he will make a statement.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Refugees

Sarah Teather: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate he has made of the number of refugees residing in each parliamentary constituency.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Offender Managers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when the regional offender manager job descriptions will be made public.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Regional Offender Managers

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what the duties are of the regional offender managers in the National Offender Management Service for each region in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Retail Sector

Stephen O'Brien: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the average cost per incident of theft was to the retail industry in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what the average loss per completed burglary was to the retail sector in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(3)  what the level of incidence of completed robbery in the retail sector was in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003; what the average loss per completed robbery to the retail sector was in (i) 2001, (ii) 2002 and (iii) 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the level of incidence of violence against staff in the retail sector was in (a) 2001, (b) 2002 and (c) 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Richard Watson

Andrew MacKinlay: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what action has been taken by Sussex police consequent on their meeting with Linda Henderson and Amanda Williams-Gater on Friday 24 January 2003; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  if he will make a statement on the progress of the re-investigation into the murder of Mr. Richard Watson; and by whom it is being conducted;
	(3)  on what grounds the chief constable of Sussex rejected the complaint of Mrs. Linda Henderson and declined to record it under section 69 (1) of the Police Act 1996; and if he will review this decision under his powers as Home Secretary;
	(4)  what apology was given by Sussex police to Linda Henderson and Amanda Williams-Gater; to whom in the press it was made available; and when;
	(5)  whether the full report of the Metropolitan police investigation into the Sussex police investigation of the murder of Mr. Richard Watson has been published; and if he will place a copy in the Library;
	(6)  whether disciplinary action against the senior investigating officer responsible for the investigation into the murder of Mr. Richard Watson was considered by Sussex police following the investigation by the Metropolitan police into Sussex police's handling of the case; and if he will make a statement;
	(7)  when detective chief inspector S. Dennis of Sussex police formally referred to the Crown Prosecution Service papers relating to the murder of Mr. Richard Watson;
	(8)  on what date the senior investigating police officer overseeing the inquiry into the murder of Mr. Richard Watson retired from Sussex police; and if he will make a statement;
	(9)  on what date Sussex police received the report of the investigation by the Metropolitan police into the conduct of the investigation by the Sussex police into the murder of Mr. Richard Watson; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Secure Training Centres

Sally Keeble: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 15 November 2004, Official Report, column 1134W, on secure training centres, how many of the hospital admissions were as a result of non-accidental injuries.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Select Committee Recommendations

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many recommendations by parliamentary select committees have been adopted by his Department since June 2001.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Serious and Organised Crime Agency

Jacqui Lait: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to finalise the functions of the Serious and Organised Crime Agency; and what the functions will be.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what changes have been made to the Association of Chief Police Officers' guidelines on safeguards for those subject to accusations of sex abuse before they are charged.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether policing trends have been identified as problematic by the Criminal Cases Review Commission in their review of historical sex abuse cases.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been conducted on the public's perception of the level of sex abuse against children.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Abuse

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the findings of the pilots on suspect interviews.

Hazel Blears: The pilot study on the introduction of visual recording of police interviews with suspects was carried out in five police force areas between May 2002 and September 2003.
	Evaluation of the scheme was carried out by independent researchers aimed at identifying the implications of the recording technology and the benefits to the criminal justice system.
	The evaluation followed the progress of over 6,000 interviews subject to visual recording of interviews with suspects and compared results with progress on 2,000 audio-only recorded interviews. The research found no discernible difference in terms of criminal justice outcomes.
	The report is being assessed by independent external reviewers, potentially with a view to publication on the RDS website in spring 2005.

Sex Offenders/Offences

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many sex offenders are absent without authorisation from prisons in England and Wales.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Offenders/Offences

David Davis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners convicted of sex offences escaped from open prisons in the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the right hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Offenders/Offences

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer to Question 182382, on sexual offences, if he will make a statement on the differences between the number of recorded offences and the number of successful prosecutions; and what his policy is on the prosecution of such offences.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Offenders/Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people reported being the victim of a sex offence in each of the past five years.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Sex Offenders/Offences

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research has been conducted on the effects sex offences have on victims; and what the findings were.

Paul Goggins: The 2001 British Crime Survey (BCS) included a self- completion module which looked at both the extent and nature of sexual victimisation.
	Full results from the module are published in Home Office Research Study 276 'Domestic violence, sexual victimisation and stalking: findings from the British Crime Survey'.
	Additionally, Chapter 6 of Home Office Research Study 237 'Rape and sexual assault of women: the extent and nature of the problemfindings from the British Crime Survey' provides further information from the 1998 and 2000 BCS on the impact of sexual victimisation. Copies have been placed in the House Library.

Soham Murders

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether the independent inquiry he has announced into the effectiveness of police intelligence in the Soham case will (a) include an assessment of the provisions of the Data Protection Act 1998 which request the deletion of records on cases which do not lead to a prosecution and (b) examine the compatibility of these provisions with the need to carry out checks for employment purposes.

Paul Goggins: holding answer 5 January 2004
	It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Special Constabulary

Andrew Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how much money was spent on recruitment programmes for the Special Constabulary over the last five years; and how much of this was spent on advertising.

Hazel Blears: Home Office expenditure over the past five years on advertising to support recruitment activity for the Special Constabulary is as follows:
	
		
			   
		
		
			 19992000 900,000 
			 200001 0 
			 200102 500,000 
			 200304 2,700,000 
		
	
	The expenditure in 200304 was to support the 'Could You Volunteer?' media campaign.
	In addition since 2000 the Home Office has spent 95,000 on publications and other materials to support recruitment activity for the Special Constabulary.
	Expenditure by individual forces on recruitment activity is not collated centrally.
	We announced in December 2003 the provision of funding of up to 70,000 for each of the 43 police forces in England and Wales under the Special Constabulary Capacity Building Scheme. The funding is to assist forces implement good practice, improving the recruitment, management and deployment of Specials.

Stop and Search

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on the change in the rate of stop and searches of people of Asian origin since 2001.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Street Crime Operations

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to his answer of 13 September 2004, Official Report, column 1408W, on immigration, if he will make it his policy to collect data on the ethnic background of those who are (a) stopped and (b) arrested under joint multi-agency street crime operations.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Sudbury Prison

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many prisoners at HMP Sudbury absconded during (a) 2003 and (b) 2002; and how many in each case had been convicted of (i) murder, (ii) grievous bodily harm and (iii) sexual offences.

Paul Goggins: Sudbury is an open prison, which holds around 550 prisoners. Prisoners are only sent to open prisons following a thorough risk assessment. Only those who have been assessed as presenting a low risk to the public should they abscond are placed in open prisons.
	65 absconds were reported from Sudbury in 2002 and 75 in 2003.
	Two of those absconding in 2002 and five of those absconding in 2003 had been convicted of murder.
	None of the absconders had been convicted of grievous bodily harm, and Sudbury does not take sex offenders.
	Open prisons hold prisoners who have been assessed as being of low risk to the public, and who can be trusted to spend time outside of prison, released on temporary license. The purpose of open prisons is to prepare prisoners for permanent release, and the emphasis is upon resettlement activity, which includes gaining local work placements. Open prisons give prisoners the opportunity to find permanent employment, reintegrate into the community, restore family ties, and find suitable long-term accommodation where necessary.

Terrorism

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department if he will make a statement on co-operation of EU states against terrorism.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Terrorism

Julian Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department for what reason the number of instances of stop-and-search under section 44 of the Terrorism Act 2000 has risen in Hampshire between 200102 and 200203; and how many (a) arrests, (b) charges and (c) convictions have resulted from these in connection with (i) terrorist-related and (ii) non-terrorist-related suspected offences.

Hazel Blears: holding answer 17 June 2004
	The following table shows the statistics for section 44(1) and 44(2) stop and searches in Hampshire in 200102 and 200203.
	
		
			  200102 200203 
		
		
			 Vehicles/occupants 10 256 
			 Pedestrians 2 38 
			 Arrests 0 8 
		
	
	The statistics for charges and convictions are not cross-referenced with the searches and arrests for individual forces in this way and could be collated and verified only at disproportionate cost. Hampshire police force is best placed to supply operational analysis.
	Stop and searches increased across the country following 11 September 2001 as police forces tightened security around key sites.

Terrorist Suspects (Belmarsh)

Anne Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  if he will make a statement on the detention of the terrorist suspects at Belmarsh prison held under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001;
	(2)  what plans there are to charge the remaining 12 terrorist suspects detained at Belmarsh prison under the Anti-terrorism, Crime and Security Act 2001; and if he will make a statement.

David Blunkett: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Tetra Mast Signals

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research he has evaluated on the possible effects of Tetra mast signals on (a) breathalysers, (b) speed cameras, (c) lawnmowers, (d) computers and (e) pacemakers.

Caroline Flint: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Transsexual People

Lynne Jones: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer of 14 September, Official Report, column 1560W, on transsexual people, if he will make it his policy to record the number of incidents reported to the police in which hatred of transsexual individuals is involved.

Hazel Blears: There are no plans to record transphobic crimes as a distinct category within hate crime reporting.

Under-age Drinking

John Cryer: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what powers are available to (a) the police and (b) licensing authorities to persuade shops selling alcohol to refrain from selling to those whom they know or suspect intend to supply it to a young person.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

Uninsured Drivers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many people were prosecuted for driving cars while uninsured in each police authority area.

Caroline Flint: Available 2002 data taken from the Home Office Court Proceedings Database for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks is given in the table. Data for 2003 will be available early in 2005.
	
		Prosecutions at magistrates courts for the offence of using a motor vehicle uninsured against third party risks(60), total offences by persons(61), England and Wales. -- Number of defendants
		
			 Police force area 2002 
		
		
			 Avon and Somerset 8,295 
			 Bedfordshire 2,872 
			 Cambridgeshire 1,518 
			 Cheshire 3,435 
			 Cleveland 1,823 
			 Cumbria 3,392 
			 Derbyshire 1,777 
			 Devon and Cornwall 3,216 
			 Dorset 5,735 
			 Durham 2,875 
			 Essex 3,241 
			 Gloucestershire 5,152 
			 Greater Manchester 2,249 
			 Hampshire 23,113 
			 Hertfordshire 6,102 
			 Humberside 4,678 
			 Kent 2,377 
			 Lancashire 8,169 
			 Leicestershire 10,559 
			 Lincolnshire 5,942 
			 London, City of 2,338 
			 Merseyside 6,624 
			 Metropolitan police 22,121 
			 Norfolk 3,168 
			 Northamptonshire 1,507 
			 Northumbria 666 
			 North Yorkshire 7,045 
			 Nottinghamshire 3,432 
			 South Yorkshire 7,400 
			 Staffordshire 4,215 
			 Suffolk 2,596 
			 Surrey 3,122 
			 Sussex 3,943 
			 Thames Valley 8,057 
			 Warwickshire 1,855 
			 West Mercia 5,325 
			 West Midlands 19,539 
			 West Yorkshire 13,639 
			 Wiltshire 2,985 
			 Dyfed-Powys 2,057 
			 Gwent 2,673 
			 North Wales 2,402 
			 South Wales 9,046 
			 England and Wales 242,275 
		
	
	(60) An offence under the Road Traffic Act 1988 s. 143(2).
	(61) Excludes companies, local authorities etc. One person may be proceeded against more than once on the same occasion.

Uninsured Drivers

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what percentage of drivers involved in fatal traffic accidents were (a) uninsured and (b) were driving a car that did not have a valid MOT.

Caroline Flint: The information is not collected centrally by my Department.

Victim Support

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what support is available for victims in sex abuse cases after they give their testimony; and what percentage of victims make use of this support.

Paul Goggins: There are a number of specialist groups providing support and other services to victims of sexual offending. We are providing 4 million over two years to support the development of such services. This will include increasing the number of Sexual Assault Referral Centres (SARCs) and developing a range of complimentary services to address short and longer-term individual needmany of which are provided by voluntary and community sector organisations. Information about the funding can be viewed on the Government funding web site.
	Victim Support is a national organisation that provides support to victims and witnesses of crime, including victims of sexual offending. This year Victim Support have been offered 30 million grant-in-aid funding from the Home Office to enable them to provide this support.
	If a victim of a sexual offence gives their express consent then the police will refer their details to Victim Support. The British Crime Survey and Victim Support data indicates that in 200304, approximately 31 per cent. of victims of reported sexual offences were referred to Victim Support.

Victim Support

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what treatment and support is available for child victims of physical abuse; and what percentage of known victims made use of this help, in each of the last five years.

Margaret Hodge: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities have a statutory duty, under Section 47 of the Children Act 1989, to make inquiries where they have reasonable cause for concern that a child may need protection. The Government's guidance, Working Together to Safeguard Children (1999), sets out the inter-agency processes to be followed where there are concerns about a child's welfare.
	All referrals and allegations, whatever their origin, must be taken seriously. The main objectives of such inquiries are to establish the facts about the circumstances giving rise to the concern; decide if there are grounds for concern; identify sources and level of risk and decide protective or other action in relation to the child and any others.
	If, following these inquiries, the child is considered to be at continuing risk of significant harm, a child protection conference should be convened to decide what future action is needed to safeguard the child and promote his or her welfare, how that action will be taken forward, and with what intended outcomes. If a child is considered to be at continuing risk of significant harm and all agencies decide that the child requires a child protection plan, the child's name should be placed on the child protection register, a key worker should be appointed and a child protection plan drawn up.
	Children should be registered under one or more of the categories of physical, emotional, or sexual abuse or neglect, according to a decision by the chair of the child protection conference. Where a child's name is placed on the child protection register, social services have lead responsibility in providing support and services, together with other agencies, in accordance with the child protection plan. Provision could include services from social services, health services, education and voluntary agencies according to the assessed needs of the child and family.
	The national health service (NHS) provides physical treatments for physical injuries sustained as a result of abuse. The NHS within child and adult mental health services (CAMHS) also provides treatment for children who suffer mental health problems and disorders as a result of abuse.
	Information relating to the number of known child victims of physical abuse over each of the last five years is not collected centrally. We do, however, collect information relating to the number of children named on the child protection register. Statistics for the last three years are as follows:
	Children and young people on child protection registers in England who had been classified under the physical abuse category.
	At 31 March 20024,200 children and young people listed.
	(This compared with an overall total of 25,700 children and young people on child protection registers at that time.)
	At 31 March 20034,300 children and young people.
	(This compares with an overall total of 26,600 children and young people on child protection registers.)
	At 31 March 20044,100 children and young people.
	(This compares with an overall total of 26,300 children and young people on child protection registers.)
	We are unable to provide statistics from child protection registers in England relating specifically to physical abuse for the last five years as, prior to 2002, local authorities were asked for data relating to physical abuse which was categorised as neglect, physical injury and sexual abuse, neglect and physical injury, physical injury and sexual abuse and physical injury alone.

Violent Crime

Claire Curtis-Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what measures (a) are in place and (b) he plans to introduce to reduce the level of violent crime.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to my hon. Friend in the time available before Prorogation.

West London CCP Programme

John Randall: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  what the costs are of each project funded by the West London Community Cohesion Pathfinder programme in the last 18 months;
	(2)  what budget has been allocated to the West London Community Cohesion Pathfinder programme in each year since it was initiated; and how much in each year has been (a) spent and (b) allocated.

Fiona Mactaggart: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Wildlife Crime

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent discussions he has had with (a) the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs and (b) others concerning wildlife crime; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Wildlife Crime

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers in each police authority area in England and Wales are assigned to tackling wildlife crime.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Wildlife Crime

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on links between wildlife crime and serious and organised crime; and if he will make a statement.

Hazel Blears: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Work Permits

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what percentage of work permits issued in 2003 were long-term permits.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects the report by Stephen Shaw on the fire at Yarl's Wood in February 2002 to be published; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

Yarl's Wood

Alistair Burt: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department when he expects to publish the report by the prisons and probation ombudsman on the incident at Yarl's Wood detention centre in February 2003; and if he will make a statement.

Des Browne: The report by the prisons and probation ombudsman, Stephen Shaw, of the investigation into the serious disturbance at Yarl's Wood immigration removal centre was published on 16 November 2004.
	My right hon. Friend, the Home Secretary announced this, by way of a written ministerial statement to the house.

Yarl's Wood

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what steps he will take to implement the report by the Prisons and Probation Ombudsman into the disturbance and fire at the Yarl's Wood Removal Centre.

Paul Goggins: It has not proved possible to respond to the hon. Member in the time available before Prorogation.

EDUCATION AND SKILLS

Academies

Frank Field: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether schools which (a) have already gained specialist status and (b) are involved in private finance initiative projects may apply for academy status.

David Miliband: The Academies Programme is not governed by an application process, nor does it involve a simple change of status for existing schools. Academies are a completely different type of institutionindependent charitable companieswhich replace poorly performing schools in disadvantaged areas. This process involves the statutory closure of any predecessor schools and the creation of a completely new school, with a new ethos, governance and organisational structure and, in most cases, new buildings.
	It is, therefore, possible for any school which meets these criteria to be closed and for an academy to open in its place. However, there are some technical issues around the closure of PFI schools, particularly those which are part of a larger PFI package, which may make their replacement by an academy impractical.

Adoption and Children Act

Gerald Kaufman: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he intends to bring in the commencement of those parts of the Adoption and Children Act 2002 not yet commenced, with particular reference to section 112.

Margaret Hodge: I refer my right hon. Friend to the response given by my hon. Friend the Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State for the Home Office on 15 November 2004, Official Report, column 1086W.

Agency Temporary Staff

Crispin Blunt: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many agency temporary staff have been working for the Department in each of the last five years, excluding those working for agencies for which no data is kept centrally.

Charles Clarke: My Department was established in June 2001. Statistics for temporary agency staff are recorded by days worked and the information, detailed in the following table, is available from November 2001 to March 2002, the financial years 200203, 200304 and April to September 2004.
	
		
			 Financial year Days worked 
		
		
			 200102 11,448 
			 200203 30,353 
			 200304 23,458 
			 April to September 2004 8,565

CAFCASS

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) cancelled appointments and (b) non-attendances there were at each Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service contact centre in the last year for which figures are available; and what percentage of appointments made this represents in each case.

Margaret Hodge: CAFCASS does not consistently collect statistics in relation to non-attendance or cancelled appointments at Child Contact Centres. The National Association of Child Contact Centres takes responsibility for the collection of national statistics, so as to develop a national perspective. It is not a mandatory requirement at the present time that NACCC member contact centres keep such statistics.
	CAFCASS has a broadly purchaser-provider relationship with 180 contact centres through a variety of partnership agreements. In addition, CAFCASS is aware of more than 100 contact centres, which though not directly funded by CAFCASS, also provide services to families. This may include providing services to families in cases where CAFCASS has prepared reports under section 7 of the Children Act 1989. CAFCASS is significantly involved in the running of nine contact centres through the direct employment of staff, and in some cases, the provision of premises.

CAFCASS

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the waiting times are for the completion of private law cases in each of the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service regions.

Margaret Hodge: There is an expectation that private law reports are completed within 10 to 12 weeks of the request date to CAFCASS. Teams that are unable to meet this requirement generally make arrangements with their courts to extend the timetable for preparing reports.
	At regional level and for Wales the times taken to complete reports, for the period 1 April to 30 June 2004, were as follows:
	East Midlandsfour teams met the 10 to 12 week standard and one team met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable;
	Easternthree teams met the 10 to 12 week standard and two teams met the extended 15 to 16 weeks timetable;
	Greater Londonfour teams met the 10 to 12 week standard, one team met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable, one team met the extended 15 to 16 weeks timetable, one team met the extended over 17 weeks timetable;
	North Eastone team met the 10 to 12 week standard, two teams met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable and one team met the extended over 17 weeks timetable;
	North Westtwo teams met the 10 to 12 week standard, four teams met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable, four teams met the extended 15 to 16 weeks timetable and one team met the extended over 17 weeks timetable;
	South Eastfive teams met the 10 to 12 week standard, one team met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable and six teams met the extended 15 to 16 weeks timetable;
	South Westtwo teams met the 10 to 12 week standard, three teams met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable, one team met the extended 15 to 16 weeks timetable, two teams met the extended over 17 weeks timetable;
	West Midlandsthree teams met the 10 to 12 week standard, two teams met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable and three teams met the extended 15 to 16 weeks timetable;
	Yorkshire and Humberside10 teams met the 10 to 12 week standard and two teams met the extended 13 to 14 weeks timetable;
	Walesnine teams met the 10 to 12 week standard.
	On a case by case basis timescales may be extended by the courts where the needs of the case require it. This would apply across all regions and is not related to resource issues.
	CAFCASS has been given an additional 12 million this year to improve performance. A new Board was appointed in April 2004 and a new Chief Executive was appointed on 1 September. They are committed to driving forward improvements in the service.

CAFCASS

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills, what proportion of families involved in separation and divorce cases were referred to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service in (a) 200102, (b) 200203 and (c) 200304.

Margaret Hodge: pursuant to her reply, 1 November 2004, Official Report, c. 29W
	I wish to clarify that the number of private law referrals to the Children and Family Court Advisory and Support Service (CAFCASS) for 200102 was not collected or reported until October 2001. The number of referrals shown in my earlier reply (17352) is the number of referrals reported from 1 October 2001 to 31 March 2002.

CAFCASS

Cheryl Gillan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many guardians are employed by the Children and Family Court Advisory Support Service; and what their principal responsibilities are.

Margaret Hodge: At 1 November 2004, CAFCASS employed 1,292 (full-time and part-time) guardians. In addition, there were 424 self-employed guardians contracted to CAFCASS during August 2004 (the latest month for which figures are available).
	Under the Children Act 1989, CAFCASS provides a children's guardian in specified public law proceedings. These include applications for care or supervision orders and applications for contact or residence orders (in public law cases). Children's guardians are also appointed in those adoption and freeing (for adoption) cases where the courts may have to dispense with parental consent.
	Guardians are appointed by family courts in order to represent the interests of children and inform the court of the child's wishes and feelings. They are qualified and experienced in social work, and they are independent of social services, parents and other parties involved in the case.
	In particular, guardians will:
	appoint a solicitor for the child;
	investigate and inform the court about the circumstances of the application; and
	prepare reports for the court. These reports are informed by time spent with the children, relatives, teachers, social workers and health visitors. Guardians attend meetings on behalf of the child; check records and read reports and statements and they may recommend that other professionals be asked to assist (such as paediatricians or psychologists). The reports must provide advice to the court about the child's wishes and feelings.
	Guardians also critically appraise a child's care plan, drawn up by the local authority.

Careers Guidance

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the End to End Review of Careers Education and Guidance.

Margaret Hodge: The findings of the Careers Education and Guidance (CEG) End to End Review are being used to inform the development of the Youth Green Paper.

Commencement of Legislation

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what pieces of legislation passed in the last 30 years that the Department is responsible for remain to be brought into force, broken down by year of enactment.

Charles Clarke: Providing the information for the period requested would incur disproportionate costs. The following table, therefore, sets out a broad overview of primary legislation from 1997 for which the Department for Education and Skills is responsible and parts of which remain to be brought into force. The table does not include provisions which have never been in force and are now repealed or spent.
	
		
			 Act of Parliament Provisions 
		
		
			 Teaching and Higher Education Act 1998 Schedule 4 
			 School Standards and Framework Act 1998 Section 39(1) Section 112(3) Section 128 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 5 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 70 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 109 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 114 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 116 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 138 Schedule 28, Part I, paragraph 185 Schedule 31 
			 Adoption (Inter-country) Act 1999 Section 2(3) Section 11 Section 15 Section 16 
			 Care Standards Act 2000 Section 10(2)-6 Section 64(1)(a) Section 64(3)-(5) Section 80(2)(b) Section 80(6)(c) Section 80(7)(c)  Section 80(7)(d) 
			 Learning and Skills Act 2000 Section 103(1) Section 103(2) Section 103(3) Schedule 9, paragraph 27 Schedule 9, paragraph 28 
			 Education Act 2002 Sections 610 Section 18(1) Section 31 Section 38(3) Section 41(2) Section 134(2) Section 134(3) Sections 136138 Section 140 Section 146 Section 148 Section 152 Section 201(1)  Schedule 2 Schedule 12, paragraph 3(5) Schedule 12, paragraph 4(2) Schedule 12, paragraph 5 Schedule 12, paragraph 7 Schedule 13, paragraph 7(2) Schedule 21, paragraphs 56 Schedule 21, paragraph 10 Schedule 21, paragraph 15 Schedule 21, paragraph 55 Schedule 21, paragraph 79 Schedule 21, paragraph 110(3)(b) Schedule 21, paragraph 110(3)(c) Schedule 22, Part 3 
			 Adoption and Children Act 2002 Section 1 Section 2(1)-(5) Section 3 Section 4(1)(a) Section 4(2)-(4) Section 4(8) Sections 511 Section 12(4)-(8) Sections 1315 Sections 1726 Section 27(1) Section 27(2) Sections 2852 Section 53(4)-(6) Section 55 Section 56(2) Section 57(1)-(4) Section 58(1) Section 59 Section 60(1) Section 60(3) Section 60(5) Section 61(1)-(6) Sections 62110 Sections 112115 Section 117 Sections 120134 Sections 137 Section 138 Schedule 1 Schedule 2 
			 Higher Education Act 2004 Sections 110 Section 20 Section 23 Section 24(1)-(6) Section 25 Sections 27, 28 Section 30(2), (3) Section 32(4) Section 38 Sections 4346 Schedule 6, paragraphs 210 Schedule 
			 Carers (Equal Opportunities) Act 2004 Sections 15

Commercial Sponsorship

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the (a) conferences, (b) publications, (c) initiatives, (d) projects and (e) receptions organised by his Department which have received funding from outside commercial bodies since May 1997, broken down by (i) funding body and (ii) amount paid.

Stephen Twigg: Details of individual amounts of sponsorship valued at more than 5,000 have been published in my Department's Annual Reports since 2002. Copies of the Annual Reports are available in the Library of the House.
	Details of individual amounts of sponsorship were not held centrally prior to 200102 and could be obtained only at disproportionate cost.
	Details of sponsorship in the current financial year to date, valued at more than 5,000 in cash or kind, are given in the following table.
	
		
			 Sponsor Project Value () 
		
		
			 ACM Music Manifesto 2,000,000 
			 Adobe Write Here Write Now writing awards 14,383 
			 Adobe and MTV Music Manifesto 800,000 
			 Britannia Number Partners 10,000 
			 BT Citizenship 2,600,000 
			 Caterpillar National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth 15,700 
			 Epson Write Here Write Now writing awards 6,211 
			 Gatsby National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth 220,000 
			 Gatsby London element of Gifted and Talented Youth strategy 28,000 
			 Granada Learning Write Here Write Now writing awards 7,822 
			 HP Invent Parents Online 30,425 
			 Jack Petchey London Talent 15,000 
			 John Lewis Anne Frank 7,308 
			 KPMG, Microsoft, GSK 1419 Reform Interim report 24,796 
			 National Grid National Academy for Gifted and Talented Youth 20,000 
			 Nordoff Robbins Music Manifesto 10,000 
			 Oracle Specialist Schools 3,996,608 
			 OUP Write Here Write Now writing awards 41,000 
			 Plato Learning National Network for Science Learning Centres 1,709,100 
			 Rolls Royce National Network for Science Learning Centres 1,000,000 
			 Sibelius Software Music Manifesto 300,000 
			 Stabifo Write Here Write Now writing awards 10,729 
			 Tesco's/RM Parents Online 136,000 
			 Tesco's/RM Parents Online 20,000 
			 Various Businesses 1419 Reform employer workshops 53,005 
			 WOMAD Music Manifesto 19,175

Correspondence

Keith Bradley: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when he expects to reply to correspondence from the right hon. Member for Manchester, Withington, dated 21 June, 29 July and 26 August, on behalf of a constituent, Mrs. Rebecca Clark, of Chorlton, Manchester.

Stephen Twigg: The Department has records of correspondence from the right hon. Member on behalf of his constituent Mrs. Rebecca Clark of Chorlton, Manchester, dated 21 June and 9 July. My right hon. Friend Margaret Hodge replied to both letters on 1 August.

Departmental Advertising Costs

Charles Hendry: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost of (a) creative work, (b) media spend and (c) administration for his Department's advertising activity has been in each financial year since 199798, broken down by contractor.

Charles Clarke: Expenditure for creative and media activities by DfES is identified for the previous two years. Information prior to 200203 can be provided only at disproportionate cost. Expenditure information provided is net of VAT:
	
		 million
		
			  Media spend Creative work 
		
		
			 200203 11.3 2.5 
			 200304 16.9 3.2 
		
	
	A breakdown of media and creative work provided by COI communications, for the last two years is identified as follows.
	
		 million
		
			  Media spend Creative work 
		
		
			 200304   
			 Barkers 0.0 0.0 
			 DLKW 0.0 1.6 
			 Leo Burnett 0.0 0.5 
			 St. Lukes 0.0 1.1 
			
			 Mediavest 5.1 0.0 
			 Key Stage 3 Booster Campaign   
			 Childcare Recruitment Campaign   
			
			 MGM 5.6 0.0 
			 Adult Basic Skills Campaign   
			
			 Naked 5.4 0.0 
			 Aim Higher Campaign   
			 Foundation Degrees Campaign   
			 n/a(62) 0.4 0.1 
			
			 200203   
			 DFGW 0.0 0.6 
			 DMB and B 0.0 0.7 
			 St. Lukes 0.0 1.1 
			 WCRS 0.0 0.1 
			 WTCS 0.0 0.1 
			
			 Mediavest 3.4 0.0 
			 Childcare Recruitment Campaign   
			 Connexions Campaign   
			 SATS Campaign   
			 1419 Paper Campaigns Campaign   
			
			 MGM 4.4 0.0 
			 Adult Basic Skills Campaign   
			
			 PHD 2.1 0.0 
			 Aim Higher Campaign   
			
			 Zenith 0.5 0.0 
			 Foundation Degrees Campaign   
			 n/a(62) 0.8 0.0 
		
	
	(62) Information could be provided only at disproportionate cost.
	It is not possible to provide expenditure information on administration of the Department's advertising activity as information is not retained at this level.

Departmental Estate

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list the properties occupied by (a) his Department and (b) its agencies in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2004, showing (A) for each and (B) in aggregate the area; and what in aggregate the annual rental value was.

Stephen Twigg: The list of properties occupied by my Department and its agencies in 1997 and 2004 including area and aggregate annual rental value is as follows:
	
		
			  2004 1997 
			 Properties Area in square feet Rental value () Area in square feet Rental value () 
		
		
			 Caxton House (leasehold) 19,504 8,174,500 19,504 6,510,000 
			 Castle View House (freehold) 9,552 741,250 9,552 723,000 
			 East Lane House (freehold)   10,512 480,000 
			 Globe Works (leasehold) 543 21,000   
			 Moorfoot (ground lease) 28,032 2,580,000 28,032 2,000,000 
			 Mowden Hall (freehold) 10,080 437,000 10.080 435,000 
			 Nursery (freehold) 750 15,500 750 10,500 
			 Ranmoor (freehold)   6,642 210,000 
			 Sanctuary Buildings (leasehold) 21,908 8,671,221 21,908 8,671,221 
			 Vincent House (leasehold)   1,836 104,000 
			 Wales Bar (freehold) 1,817 33,000 1,817 50,500 
		
	
	Notes:
	1. Where information is not provided, this indicates that the Department did not occupy/own the property.
	2. The rental value for freehold properties has been assessed using the rateable values as set by the Valuation Office. To obtain an accurate figure would result in disproportionate costs.
	The Department for Education and Skills did have an agency in 1997, Employment Service, who had approximately 1,300 properties. Data is not held centrally and this would require a departmental trawl at disproportionate costs.

Disabled Pupils

Tim Boswell: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what action he is taking to (a) monitor and (b) improve provision of facilities for sports and physical recreation for pupils with disabilities who attend mainstream schools.

Margaret Hodge: All schools have a duty under Part 4 of the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA)1995 prepare an accessibility plan for increasing over time the accessibility of schools to disabled pupils. The plan is expected to cover increasing access to the curriculum (including PE and sport) and the physical environment of the school, so that disabled pupils can take advantage of education and associated services. Ofsted monitors how schools are carrying out the planning duties as part of their ongoing inspections of schools. In the first planning period 1 April 2003 to 31 March 2006, some 300 million is being made available to local education authorities in England through the Schools Access Initiative for projects to improve the accessibility of mainstream schools to disabled pupils.
	In 2003, DfES published a training CD-ROM Success For All. This features a series of filmed case studies showing how teachers in mainstream and special schools include pupils with a range of disabilities in PE and sport. The disc offers lesson plans and points users to relevant resources. Our PE, School Sport and Club Links Strategy aims to increase the numbers of 5 to 16-year-olds who spend a minimum of two hours each week on high quality PE and school sport and makes clear that all children, including disabled children should be able to participate.

Early Years Education

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pre-school places for (a) under 3-year-olds, (b) 3-year-olds and (c) 4-year-olds were available in Bury, North in each of the last seven years.

Margaret Hodge: The information is not available in the form requested.
	Figures on the number of free early education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in Bury local education authority area are shown in the table.
	
		Number of free early education places1, 2 taken up by 3 and4-year-old children in maintained nursery and primary schools and private, voluntary and independent providers, Bury local education authority area, 1998 to 2004
		
			 Position in January each year 3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1998 1,100 2,300 
			 1999 1,000 2,300 
			 2000 1,000 2,100 
			 2001 1,100 2,200 
			 2002 1,300 2,100 
			 2003 1,500 2,300 
			 2004 1,500 2,200 
		
	
	(63) Part-time equivalent number of free early education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-old children.
	(64) A free early education place comprises five two and a half hour sessions of early years education per week, for 33 weeks of the year, usually three terms of 11 weeks.
	The latest figures on provision for 3 and 4-year-olds in England were published in a Statistical First Release Provision for children under five years of age in England-January 2004 which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.
	From April 2004, six months ahead of our original target, all 3-year-olds in England whose parents want one, are eligible for a free, part-time early education place.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the surplus or deficit was of each school in Newcastle-under-Lyme at the end of the financial year 200304.

David Miliband: The information requested is submitted to the Department according to local education authority areas, rather than districts within an LEA. Newcastle-under-Lyme forms part of Staffordshire LEA. Staffordshire LEA has yet to submit its full section 52 statement and a complete Consistent Financial Reporting return for 200304. I will write to my hon. Friend once this information has been received and validated.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes there have been in (a) GCSE and (b) A level results achieved by students in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: The results shown in the following tables are for schools and colleges in the parliamentary constituency of Newcastle-under-Lyme.
	
		(a) GCSE/GNVQ achievement of 15-year-old pupils 1997 to 2003
		
			  Percentage of 15-year-olds achieving 
			  5+A*-C at GCSE/GNVQ 1+A*-G at GCSE/GNVQ 
		
		
			 2003 48.5 95.4 
			 2002 46.7 94.7 
			 2001 45.2 95.1 
			 2000 43.0 94.4 
			 1999 41.1 94.7 
			 1998 37.5 92.6 
			 1997 38.1 91.6 
		
	
	
		(b) A level and vocational equivalent achievement 1997 to 2003
		
			  Average point score per 
			  A level candidate examination entry 
		
		
			 2003 168.2 66.7 
			 2002 207.5 68.9 
			 2001 12.4 4.3 
			 2000 12.8 4.3 
			 1999 12.0 4.1 
			 1998 11.7 3.9 
			 1997 11.3 4.1 
		
	
	A new point scoring tariff was adopted by UCAS in 2002. The School and College Achievement and Attainment Tables changed to reflect this. The change is illustrated below.
	
		
			 Grade at A level Points 1997 to 2001 Points 2002 to 2003 
		
		
			 A 10 120 
			 B 8 100 
			 C 6 80 
			 D 4 60 
			 E 2 40 
		
	
	Note:
	AS levels count as half an A level and VCE Double Awards count as 2 A levels.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been spent on improving (a) science and (b) sports facilities in schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: This information is not held centrally.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much has been invested in improving school buildings in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme in each year since 1997.

David Miliband: Information on capital funding invested in improving school buildings broken down by primary and secondary schools is not held centrally. Decisions on how resources should be invested in schools are taken locally in accordance with locally prepared asset management plans. The Department does not hold details of capital allocation by constituency. The following table shows capital resources allocated to schools in Staffordshire local education authority and its schools, since 1997.
	
		Staffordshire LEA
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199798 7,421 
			 199899 25,935 
			 19992000 15,549 
			 200001 31,145 
			 200102 22,996 
			 200203 26,601 
			 200304 35,529 
			 200405 41,071

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures have been taken to improve basic literacy and numeracy for (a) children and (b) adults in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: Since 1997 raising attainment in literacy and numeracy, for both children and adults, has been a key priority.
	The Primary National and Key Stage 3 Strategies are the chief means by which we support schools to improve standards of teaching and learning in literacy and numeracy. The National Strategies work with and through LEAs to provide high quality lesson planning and continuing professional development materials, training for headteachers, teachers, and support staff, and hands-on support through a network of consultants. We also offer tailored support to individual LEAs. Staffordshire LEA is currently participating in programmes to improve the quality of leadership and to address low attainment in its schools.
	National curriculum test results tell us that this focus is paying dividends. In Newcastle-under-Lyme, the percentage of 11-year-olds achieving the expected level (level 4) in maths has risen from 62 per cent. in 1997 to 75 per cent. in 2003, and from 66 per cent. to 76 per cent. in English. At KS3 the percentage of pupils achieving the expected level for their age (level 5) between 1997 and 2003 has increased from 57 per cent. to 69 per cent. in maths and from 61 per cent. to 71 per cent. in English. 2004 constituency level data will be published in the new year.
	We are similarly working hard to improve levels of literacy and numeracy for adults. Since the launch of the Skills for Life Strategy in 2001, Staffordshire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) has had responsibility for addressing the literacy and numeracy skills of adults in Newcastle-under-Lyme. According to information provided by the LSC, an estimated 10,800 young people and adults participated in the Staffordshire Local LSC Skills for Life programmes in the last year (200304). Of these learners, an estimated 4,200 will achieve at least one qualification counting towards the Skills for Life target.
	Newcastle-under-Lyme College has been active in developing provision in the area, for example by supporting an E Learning bus, which provides state of the art ICT equipment to support adult learners. It offers users the chance to gain nationally recognised qualifications in literacy and numeracy using on-line facilities. Newcastle-under-Lyme is also one of the Region's Testbed Learning Communities and support to improve levels of literacy, numeracy and language skills will be a key strand of this development.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps have been taken to reduce class sizes in (a) infant and (b) junior schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: The infant class size limit was introduced in the School Standards and Framework Act 1998. This required all 5, 6 and 7 years from the 2001/02 school year to be taught in classes of no more than 30 with one qualified teacher. The Government have fully funded the implementation of the infant class size limit by making 775 million available between 199899 and 200203. This is enough for 6,000 new teachers and 2,000 additional classrooms. Between 1997 and 2004, the pupil teacher ratio in primary schools in Newcastle-under-Lyme fell from 26.3 to 25 in Key Stage 1 and from 28.9 to 26.9 in Key Stage 2.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how the average pay of teachers has changed in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: Information on the average pay of teachers is not available at constituency level.
	The average salary of full-time regular qualified teachers in the maintained sector schools in Staffordshire local education authority in March 1997 was 24,200. By March 2003 the latest date for which information is available, this had risen to 29,900 (provisional).
	The figures include all allowances and cover all grades.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many families have benefited from Sure Start in Newcastle-under-Lyme;
	(2)  how much has been invested in Sure Start in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Margaret Hodge: Sure Start provision in Newcastle-under-Lyme consists of a children's centre, based on a former Sure Start local programme and a neighbourhood nursery. The centre was designated a children's centre in October 2004 and offers services to 580 families.
	The total capital funding available for the children's centre is 2,269,000. Funding comes from a number of sources, including the Sure Start local programme and neighbourhood nursery funding, Staffordshire local education authority and the European Regional Development Fund. The Sure Start capital investment totals 830,000. The Sure Start local programme revenue allocation for 200405 is 727,750.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many free nursery or pre-reception class places have been created for (a) five, (b) four and (c) three-year-olds in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997;
	(2)  how many free part-time nursery places have been created in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997; and at which locations.

Margaret Hodge: All 4-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All 3-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in Newcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency and Staffordshire local education authority area is shown in the tables. Information for private and voluntary providers is available for Staffordshire but not for Newcastle-under-Lyme.
	
		Number of free nursery education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in Staffordshire local education authority area, 1997 and 2004
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(65) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total Maintained nursery and primary schools(66) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(67) Total 
		
		
			 1997 2,600 0 2,600 n/a n/a (68)9,600 
			 2004 2,200 (69)4,540 6,740 7,930 860 8,780 
		
	
	(65) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
	(66) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
	(67) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census data collection exercise and the Annual Schools Census.
	(68) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(69) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years census data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' census.
	n/a = not available.
	
		Number of free nursery education places1, 2 taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in maintained nursery and primary schools, Newcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency area, 1997 and 2004
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			   Maintained primary schools   Maintained primary schools 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(72) Total Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(72) Total 
		
		
			 1997 150 190 0 340 100 130 700 910 
			 2004 100 250 0 340 50 130 640 820 
		
	
	(70) Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year.
	(71) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 places.
	(72) Includes reception classes and classes not designated as nursery classes.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census.
	The latest figures on early education places for 3 and 4-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004, Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in EnglandJanuary 2004 (final), which is available on the Department's website: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what changes there have been to the level of funding for further education in (a) North Staffordshire and (b) Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997;
	(2)  how much expenditure is planned for investment in the new further education college in Newcastle-under-Lyme;
	(3)  what changes have taken place to the funding of Staffordshire Learning and Skills Council since its establishment.

Kim Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC decides on allocations at individual college and local LSC level. Information about these allocations is not collected by the Department. This is a matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to the hon. Gentleman with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes there have been to the number of (a) 16 to 18-year-olds and (b) adults taking vocational qualifications in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: Information is only available on those achieving, rather than taking, national vocational qualifications (NVQs) and vocationally related qualifications (VRQs); and at local education authority (LEA) level. Therefore the following figures apply to Staffordshire LEA.
	
		Awards of NVQs and VRQs in Staffordshire LEA: 1997/98 to 2002/03(Awards made between 1 October and 30 September in each year) -- Thousand
		
			  Age(73) 
			  NVQs VRQs 
			 Academic year 1618 1975 1618 1975 
		
		
			 1997/98 (74) (74)   
			 1998/99 (74) 2.8   
			 1999/2000 1.7 6.1   
			 2000/01 1.2 4.2   
			 2001/02 1.1 3.7 (74) (74) 
			 2002/03 1.4 3.4 (74) 2.6 
		
	
	(73) Age at start of academic year i.e. 31 August.
	(74) Less than 1,000.
	Note:
	Accreditation of VRQs commenced in April 2000, reliable figures only available from 2001/02.
	Source:
	NISVQ

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of students who have received the education maintenance allowance in Stoke-on-Trent;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the effect of the education maintenance allowance upon post-16 staying-on rates in Stoke-on-Trent.

Ivan Lewis: Since the start of this academic year and up to the end of October, 1,050 16-year-olds entering year 12 had received at least one EMA payment in the Stoke-on-Trent LEA area.
	Based on extensive piloting, the projection is that EMA will increase participation in education at Y12 by 3.8 percentage points, and by 4.1 percentage points among Y13s. This will be the biggest impact of any single initiative on participation levels since the introduction of GCSEs in 1987. However, the impact will vary depending on the area, and pilot areas such as Stoke-on-Trent will have experienced much of this impact already. We estimate that around 1,400 16-year-olds in full time education in Stoke-on-Trent are eligible on income grounds for EMA. This estimate is based on a range of assumptions around participation and income profiles and is therefore subject to some uncertainty.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of students who have benefited from the introduction of the Newcastle Achievement Scheme in further education in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of changes to staying-on rates following the introduction of the Newcastle Achievement Scheme in further education in Newcastle-under-Lyme.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what steps have been taken to improve training and skills in Newcastle-under- Lyme since 1997; and if he will list the relevant initiatives.

Ivan Lewis: The Skills Strategy White Paper (published July 2003) introduced a range of policies to meet shortfalls in skillsespecially at Level 2, and in some sector-specific areas at Level 3. These include mechanisms to identify and address sectoral and regional skill priorities, to engage employers better in training and enable providers to be more responsive to employers.
	The strategy set out our intention to introduce a new entitlement for any adult in the labour force to have access to free tuition for their first full Level 2 qualification. We started trialling the entitlement in the North East and South East regions in September 2004, and will start national roll-out from next year.
	In September 2003, we started piloting the new Adult Learning Grant (ALG), offering up to 30 per week to adults on low incomes studying full time for a first full Level 2 qualification, and for first Level 3 qualifications for those under 30. We have now extended the ALG trials from 10 pilot regions into the SE and NE regions as part of linked trials of key initiatives announced in the Skills Strategy
	18 Employer Training Pilots (ETPs) are testing new financial support measures to improve access to training and enable employees to attain basic and Level 2 skills. As at the end of October 2004, 13,474 employers and 92,987 learners had registered for ETP.
	Trade unions and their Union Learning Representatives (ULRs) are making a major contribution to the Skills Strategy. After seven years of the Union Learning Fund, a further 46 new projects in 27 unions have been approved to start from April this year. These projects are in both small and large unions and in both public and private sectors. They will provide new learning opportunities for thousands of workers. In the last year alone, the fund helped to encourage over 25,000 workers back into learning.
	For the economically inactive, we will improve the support to the low-skilled through the New Deal for Skills (NDfS) by creating a new intensive skills guidance service, co-located with Jobcentre Plus where possible, and improving mechanisms of financial support for those for whom training provides a route back to work.
	Skills for Life, the national strategy for improving adult literacy, language and numeracy skills, was launched in March 2001. It aims to help create a society where adults have the basic skills they need to find and keep work and participate fully in society, thereby increasing the economic performance and social cohesion of the country. So far we estimate that 550,000 adults achieved a qualification in literacy, language or numeracy and current projections show that we are on track to meet the target of 750,000 achievements by July 2004. In terms of participation, it is estimated that 2.3 million learners will have taken up 4.7 million learning opportunities between April 2001 and July 2004. Staffordshire has a Basic Skills Strategy Group with representation from all key partners including colleges, work-base learning providers, Job Centre Plus, probation, voluntary and community sector and the LSC. The partnership is working to improve levels of literacy, numeracy and language across the area.
	The growing network of UK-wide, employer-led Sector Skills Councils (SSCs) has a key part to play in taking forward these national skills strategies. Each SSC has a key goal of increasing opportunities to boost the skills and productivity of everyone in the sector's work force, including taking action on equal opportunities.
	We recognise that there are variations in the skills base of different regions. This is being addressed by Regional Skills Partnerships which are being established in each region, co-ordinated by Regional Development Agencies and involving LSC, Jobcentre Plus, Small Business Service and Skills for Business Network. They are bringing together skills and work force development with support for innovation and business development and labour market services in an integrated approach to deliver Regional Economic Strategies. The Regional Skills Partnership in the West Midlands will be launched in January 2005.
	On 10 May the Government announced their intention to put in place a family of apprenticeship programmes to suit a variety of needs from aged 14 upwards. These will include: Junior Apprenticeships for 14 to 16-year-olds, a pre-apprenticeship route within the existing Entry to Employment programme, Apprenticeships at NVQ Level 2, Advanced Apprenticeships at NVQ Level 3 and a strengthened progression route into higher education, including vocational Foundation Degrees. In addition we are developing Apprenticeships for Adults in those sectors with the greatest need.
	Since April 2001 the Learning and Skills Council has been responsible for the planning and funding of all post-16 learning outside Higher Education. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend with information about learning and skills in Newcastle-under-Lyme and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Education (Staffordshire)

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what changes have taken place to (a) the funding of and (b) the numbers of students attending (i) Keele University and (ii) Staffordshire University since 1997.

Kim Howells: The following table shows the changes in funding and associated student numbers for Keele and Staffordshire Universities. The figures do not include Teacher Training Agency (TTA) or national health service (NHS) funded provision. Overseas students have also been excluded.
	
		HEFCE funding for teaching and HEFCE funded student numbers
		
			  Keele University Staffordshire University 
			  Funding (000) Student FTE Funding (000) Student FTE 
		
		
			 199798 10,518 4,970 27,832 12,105 
			 199899 10,596 4,913 32,189 11,806 
			 19992000 11,432 4,719 33,182 11,570 
			 200001 11,603 4,685 35,481 12,085 
			 200102 11,819 4,880 37,256 12,168 
			 200203 13,163 4,911 38,123 11,116 
			 200304 14,443 5,082 39,232 10,285 
			 200405 17,408 N/a 40,512 n/a 
		
	
	Sources:
	HEFCE Final Grant Announcement Circulars.
	HESES student number returns (columns 4 and 4a).

Education Funding (Bury)

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total allocation of capital expenditure to (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Bury Metropolitan borough council area was in each of the last seven years.

Charles Clarke: The following table shows capital resources allocated to Bury local education authority and its schools, since 1997. Information on the split between primary and secondary schools is not held centrally. Decisions on how resources should be invested in schools are taken locally in accordance with the locally prepared asset management plans.
	
		Bury LEA
		
			  000 
		
		
			 199798 941 
			 199899 2,311 
			 19992000 3,317 
			 200001 5,183 
			 200102 4,736 
			 200203 5,785 
			 200304 7,556 
			 200405 10,833

Education Maintenance Allowance

John Grogan: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students in the Selby constituency are receiving the education maintenance allowance.

Ivan Lewis: Since the start of the academic year, as of 31 October, 1,579 young people in the North Yorkshire area had received payments under the national EMA scheme. The number is increasing at a steady rate and we expect it to continue to do so. The EMA scheme has proved its effectiveness in the pilots we have run, and it will allow young people from lower income households to succeed in a wide variety of vocational and academic courses.
	We are unable to provide numbers down to constituency level.

Education Maintenance Allowance

Rob Marris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will list institutions with students aged 16 to 18 years who are in receipt of an education maintenance allowance, broken down by number of students.

Ivan Lewis: There are currently around 2,875 schools and colleges across England with students enrolled on the EMA system (EMASYS). Over 200,000 young people have received EMA payments so far.
	The following information lists the schools and colleges in the Black Country and the number of students enrolled on EMASYS in each up to 31 October. A copy of the full list, including an electronic version, will be placed in the Library.
	
		October census data
		
			 URN School name Number of enrolled students (at 31 October) 
			 SCL_ID SCL_Description Total 
		
		
			 104404 Aldersley High School 40 
			 104263 Aldridge School 38 
			 104008 Alexandra High School and Sixth Form Centre 88 
			 104246 Alumwell Business Enterprise College 56 
			 104264 Barr Beacon Language College 69 
			 103888 Batmans Hill Unit 3 
			 103868 Bishop Milner Catholic School 29 
			 104254 Blue Coat Church of England Comprehensive School A Performing Arts Specialist Co 55 
			 104248 Brownhills Community Technology College 52 
			 104269 Castle School 10 
			 130484 City of Wolverhampton College 616 
			 104395 Colton Hills Community School 74 
			 104390 Coppice Performing Arts School 52 
			 104249 Darlaston Community Science College 79 
			 104005 Dartmouth High School 32 
			 104387 Deansfield High School 31 
			 130475 Dudley College of Technology 652 
			 103876 Elmfield Rudolf Steiner School Limited 3 
			 104245 Frank F Harrison Community School 56 
			 NSI021 Glasshouse College 8 
			 116994 Hagley Roman Catholic High School 33 
			 130476 Halesowen College 867 
			 116933 Haybridge High School and Sixth Form 51 
			 104396 Heath Park High School 74 
			 104386 Highfields Science Specialist School 91 
			 104271 Jane Lane School 5 
			 104243 Joseph Leckie Community Technology College 93 
			 130478 King Edward VI College Stourbridge 257 
			 104021 Manor High School (Foundation) 34 
			 104272 Mary Elliot School 10 
			 104003 Menzies High School 114 
			 104397 Moreton Community School 46 
			 104403 Moseley Park School 58 
			 103870 Old Swinford Hospital 15 
			 104401 Our Lady and St Chad Catholic School 47 
			 104393 Parkfield High School 42 
			 104391 Pendeford High School 35 
			 104417 Penn Hall School 5 
			 104251 Pool Hayes Community School 51 
			 104262 Queen Mary's Grammar School 27 
			 104261 Queen Mary's High School 50 
			 104405 Royal Wolverhampton School 2 
			 130479 Sandwell College 259 
			 104247 Sheffield Sports and Community College 43 
			 104260 Shire Oak School (a Science college) 58 
			 104013 Shireland Language College 60 
			 104389 Smestow School 45 
			 104252 Sneyd Community School 60 
			 104400 St. Edmund's Catholic School 28 
			 104255 St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School 28 
			 104399 St. Peter's Collegiate Church of England School 55 
			 104259 St. Thomas More Catholic School Willenhall 124 
			 130477 Stourbridge College 275 
			 104020 Stuart Bathurst Catholic High School 22 
			 117033 Sunfield School 3 
			 104407 Tettenhall College Incorporated 1 
			 104414 Tettenhall Wood School 2 
			 103871 The Ellowes Hall School 9 
			 104022 The Heathfield Foundation Technology College 113 
			 131547 The King's Church of England School 35 
			 132231 The Meadows School 12 
			 104385 The Northicote School 63 
			 103880 The Old Park School 5 
			 104258 The Streetly School 29 
			 132233 The Westminster School 12 
			 104270 Three Crowns School 8 
			 104014 Tividale High School and Community College 21 
			 133697 Wallsall Academy 60 
			 130483 Walsall College of Arts and Technology 661 
			 104392 Wednesfield High School 65 
			 104250 Willenhall School Sports College 71 
			 104006 Wodensborough Community Technology College 11 
			 104402 Wolverhampton Girls' High School 31 
			 104411 Wolverhampton Grammar School 25 
			 104007 Wood Green High School College of Sport 79

Education Maintenance Allowance

Oona King: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many 16-year-olds in full-time education in Tower Hamlets are eligible for an education maintenance allowance;
	(2)  how many and what percentage of young people starting post-16 education in Tower Hamlets in 2004 have been awarded education maintenance allowance; and what percentage of those have received a (a) 30, (b) 20 and (c) 10 award.

Ivan Lewis: We estimate that around 1,400 16-year-olds entering Year 12 in Tower Hamlets are eligible for EMA on income grounds.
	Since the start of the academic year, as of 31 October, 1,416 young people in the Tower Hamlets LEA area had received payments under the national EMA scheme. The number is increasing at a steady rate and we expect it to continue to do so. We are unable to breakdown the figures at LEA level to show specifically how many young people are receiving 10, 20 and 30 payments.

Education/Training (West Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what percentage of (a) GCSE and (b) sixth form students have continued to higher education in (i) West Derbyshire, (ii) the East Midlands of England and (iii) England in each year since 1990.

Kim Howells: The available information on participation rates by region shows the proportion of 18-year-olds entering full-time undergraduate courses in the UK via the Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCASJ, and is given in the table. Comparable figures for the years prior to 1994 are not available centrally.
	It should be noted that the proportions in the table are based only on the number of 18-year-olds entering full-time HE. This is a different definition to the Department's main measures of HE participation: the Age Participation Index (API), which measures the proportion of UK domiciled students who enter full-time HE by the age of 20, and the Higher Education Initial Participation Rate (HEIPR) which measures the proportion of 1730 year old English domiciled first time entrants to full or part-time HE. Neither the API nor the HEIPR are calculated for each LEA, because of the lack of detailed data at local authority level.
	
		Proportion of 18-year-olds entering full-time undergraduate courses via UCAS
		
			  Students from: 
			 Year of entry Derbyshire(75) East Midlands(76) England 
		
		
			 1994 16.1 17 17.9 
			 1995 16.2 19 19.5 
			 1996 17.6 19 19.9 
			 1997 19.1 20 20.5 
			 1998 19.9 19 20.0 
			 1999 19.9 19 20.0 
			 2000 20.4 20 20.6 
			 2001 21.9 21 21.5 
			 2002 22.5 21 22.0 
			 2003 21.9 21 21.4 
		
	
	(75) Derbyshire excludes Derby LEA from 1997.
	(76) Covers the local education authorities of Derby, Derbyshire, Leicester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire, Nottingham, Nottinghamshire and Rutland.

Education/Training (West Derbyshire)

Patrick McLoughlin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people in (a) West Derbyshire and (b) the East Midlands have entered (i) an advanced modern apprenticeship and (ii) a foundation modern apprenticeship since the schemes' inception.

Ivan Lewis: The information is not available for West Derbyshire as requested by the hon. Gentleman. However, information is available for old Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) areas and new Learning and Skills Council (LSC) areas. The following table shows the number of starts on Apprenticeships in Derbyshire Learning and Skills Council (LSC) between the 26 March 2001 and the end of July 2004, as well as the number of starts from the inception of the programmes until 25 March 2001 in the three TEC areas that became part of Derbyshire LSC area. The table also shows the number of starts in the East Midlands region in these periods.
	
		
			 Time period TEC/LSC Advanced Apprenticeships (formerly AMA) Apprenticeships at level 2 (formerly FMA) 
		
		
			 Inception to March 2001 North Derbyshire 2,500 1,300 
			  Southern Derbyshire 5,600 2,000 
			  Stockport and High Peak(77) 3,800 1,900 
			  East Midlands Region 37,800 19,500 
			 
			 March 2001 to July 2004 Derbyshire LSC 3,000 7,500 
			  East Midlands LSC region 12,600 32,000 
		
	
	(77) Some of the Stockport and High Peak TEC area became part of Derbyshire LSC, but some of the old TEC area also became part of Greater Manchester LSC

Entry to Employment

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what representations he has received on funding reduction in Entry to Employment courses and training opportunities.

Ivan Lewis: I have received correspondence from MPs, training providers, and members of the public about the reduction in funding to the E2E programme. However, there is no reduction in the funding allocated by the LSC for 2004/05: 238 million, the same level as last year.

Entry to Employment

Phil Sawford: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the total budget was for the Entry to Employment programme for the year 200304; and what funding will be available for the programme for the year 200405.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the council's chief executive, will write to my hon. Friend with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Examination Results

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average A-level points score was for (a) school sixth forms, (b) sixth form colleges and (c) general further education colleges in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: I refer the hon. Member to the answer given on 4 November 2004, Official Report, column 368W.

Examination Results

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) individual students were awarded level three qualifications and (b) level three qualifications were awarded in English further education colleges in each of the last 10 years; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: Figures are only available on a broadly consistent basis from 1994/95 onwards. The following tables show particular qualification types and combinations which equate to a full level 3 qualification. The information in the tables comes from a variety of data systems over time and it is not possible to match data across these sources for individual students. Therefore, it is possible that some individual students appear in more than one column.
	
		Table 1: Number of Level 3 awards, England -- Thousand
		
			  Two or more GCEA Levels Four AS Levels Advanced GNVQ/VCE NVQ Level 3 Full VRQ Level 3 
		
		
			 1994/95 165  11 43  
			 1995/96 169  30 56  
			 1996/97 183  32 79  
			 1997/98 188  39 90  
			 1998/99 188  42 89  
			 1999/2000 186  44 97  
			 2000/01 193 86 42 90  
			 2001/02 195 85 41 85 1 
			 2002/03 207 90 36 85 6 
		
	
	
		Table 2: Number of Level 3 awards in Further Education and Sixth Form Colleges, England -- Thousand
		
			  Two or more GCEA Levels Four AS Levels Advanced GNVQ/VCE NVQ Level 3 Full VRQ Level 3 
		
		
			 1994/95 56  7 n/a  
			 1995/96 57  19 n/a  
			 1996/97 61  19 n/a  
			 1997/98 60  29 40  
			 1998/99 59  30 36  
			 1999/2000 57  30 39  
			 2000/01 59 27 28 36  
			 2001/02 59 29 27 36 1 
			 2002/03 64 31 24 35 5 
		
	
	n/a = Not available.
	Notes:
	1. The number of GNVQs are not fully consistent over time, figures from 2000/01 onwards are taken from the Secondary School and College Performance Tables Database, figures for earlier years are taken from NISVQ.
	2. The figures for two or more GCE A Levels includes those gaining a combination of one GCE A Level and 2+ GCE AS Levels in the same year. Those gaining four AS Levels within the year are excluded and shown separately given they will be double counted when they complete their full A Level course. For this reason, it is not appropriate to add across the rows to form a total figure.
	3. The Full VRQ Level 3 figure is for Vocationally Related Qualifications accredited by QCA as having 80 to 100 per cent. width.
	4. Advanced GNVQ/VCE includes Advanced GNVQs, VCE 12 Unit, 2 VCE 6 Unit qualifications or equivalent combinations of VCE 6 unit and 3 unit qualifications.
	Source:
	Secondary School and College Performance Tables Database and National Information System for Vocational Qualifications (NISVQ)

Foster Carers

Annabelle Ewing: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what measures he plans to take to address the shortage of foster carers.

Margaret Hodge: In February this year we produced a Fostering Publicity Pack designed to help local authorities to run targeted local campaigns to recruit new foster carers for looked after children. We have also awarded a 3-year grant of 180,000 to the Fostering Network to support Foster Care Fortnight, which has a particular focus on recruitment.
	In addition, the Choice Protects grant, which provides funding of 113 million over three years, has a specific emphasis on fostering services. 1.5 million of the funding available through the grant in the current financial year is being used to develop a number of new initiatives to improve the status, support and training of foster carers. These include the development of a national award ceremony, a national advice line, measures to improve the support given to foster carers who are subject to allegations and new training resources for foster carers.
	Most recently, the Government have tabled amendments to the Children Bill which would enable regulations to be made prescribing a national minimum allowance to foster carers in England and Wales.

Free School Meals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to assess alternatives to eligibility to free school meals as the trigger point to other benefits, with particular reference to free transport.

Stephen Twigg: We are investigating with the Department for Work and Pensions the increase in family income that results from a move from unemployment into work on the minimum wage and above. In doing so we must consider what can be done for the many low income working and non-working families who are not eligible for school transport, as many are paying commercial bus fares for their children to travel to school. Our aim is to develop a system that helps as many low income families as possible to have access to affordable transport on the home to school journey, where walking or cycling is impractical.

Free School Meals

David Drew: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to improve take-up of free school meals, with specific reference to rural areas; and what measures he plans to take to reduce the stigma attached to take-up of free school meals.

Stephen Twigg: We are currently in discussion with the Inland Revenue and the Department of Work and Pensions about ways in which the system for checking free school meal entitlement might be streamlined. Key to these discussions is the need to agree a system that will be easy for parents to access and to remove the need for specific details of Government support payments to be shown to school or local authority staff in order to have their child's free school meal eligibility assessed.
	A DfES sponsored research report, commissioned by the Child Poverty Action Group, entitled Improving the Take-up of Free School Meals was published in May 2001. The findings of the research suggested that a major factor in poor take-up was parents' perception that school meals were of poor quality. We are revising secondary school lunch standards to reduce sugar, salt and fat content and are considering if primary school meals require similar changes. Changes when implemented will improve quality and, therefore, will encourage greater take up of free as well as paid for school lunches in both rural and urban areas.

Free School Meals

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in (a) Leicester South and (b) each unitary authority in England claim free school meals; and what estimate he has made of those eligible to claim free school meals in each case.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(78): school meal arrangements2,3 January 2004, Leicester South parliamentary constituency and each unitary authority in England
		
			  Primary 
			  Number on roll Number of pupils taking free school meals Percentage of pupils taking free school meals Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 Leicester South parliamentary  constituency 9,840 2,200 22.4 2,530 25.7 
			   
			 Unitary Authorities  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 12,580 1,120 8.9 1,340 10,6 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 14,890 3,380 22.7 3,940 26.5 
			 Blackpool 12,230 2,220 18.2 2.850 23.3 
			 Bournemouth 10,980 1,060 9.6 1,230 11.2 
			 Bracknell Forest 8,930 460 5.1 600 6.7 
			 Brighton and Hove 17,430 2,330 13.3 3,190 18.3 
			 Bristol, City of 30,230 6,020 19.9 7,400 24.5 
			 Darlington 8,990 1,520 16.8 1,780 19.7 
			 Derby 21,990 3,690 16.8 4,310 19.6 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 26,710 2,000 7.5 2,530 9.5 
			 Halton 10,700 2,400 22.5 2,880 26.9 
			 Hartlepool 9,550 2,000 20.9 2,180 22.9 
			 Herefordshire 13,630 900 6.6 1,000 7.3 
			 Isle of Wight 7,250 1,020 14.0 1,320 18.3 
			 Isles of Scilly 270 10 1.9 10 2.3 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 23,520 4,700 20.0 6,110 26.0 
			 Leicester 28,850 6,350 22.0 7,450 25.8 
			 Luton 18,680 3,670 19.7 4,390 23.5 
			 Medway 23,360 2,420 10.3 3,050 13.1 
			 Middlesbrough 14,400 3,820 26.5 4,360 30.3 
			 Milton Keynes 22,700 1,920 8.4 2,990 13.2 
			 North East Lincolnshire 14,850 2,210 14.9 3,230 21.7 
			 North Lincolnshire 14,120 1,710 12.1 2,090 14.8 
			 North Somerset 14,950 1,350 9.0 1,710 11.4 
			 Nottingham 24,670 6,170 25.0 7,680 31.2 
			 Peterborough 15,520 2,590 16.7 3,050 19.6 
			 Plymouth 20,100 3,060 15.2 3,750 18.7 
			 Poole 10,720 500 4.6 520 4.9 
			 Portsmouth 14,710 2,210 15.0 2,760 18.8 
			 Reading 10,170 1,420 14.0 1,770 17.4 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 14,000 2,860 20.5 3,240 23.1 
			 Rutland 2,610 110 4.1 140 5.5 
			 Slough 11,280 1,620 14.4 1,970 17.5 
			 South Gloucestershire 23,000 1,540 6.7 1,900 8.3 
			 Southampton 16,570 3,010 18.2 3,650 22.1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 14,500 2,050 14.1 2,650 18.3 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 18,050 3,090 17.1 3,450 19.1 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 21,480 5,130 23.9 6,190 28.8 
			 Swindon 17,250 1,640 9.5 2,130 12.4 
			 Telford and Wrekin 15,700 2,760 17.6 3,200 20.4 
			 Thurrock 14,120 1,640 11.6 2,120 15.0 
			 Torbay 10,310 1,520 14.8 1,960 19.0 
			 Warrington 18,090 1,480 8.2 1,820 10.1 
			 West Berkshire 12,160 730 6.0 940 7.7 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 8,320 490 5.9 620 7.4 
			 Wokingham 12,360 430 3.5 550 4.4 
			 York 13,710 1,150 8.4 1,380 10.1 
		
	
	
		
			  Secondary 
			  Number on roll Number of pupils taking free school meals Percentage of pupils taking free school meals Number of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals Percentage of pupils known to be eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 Leicester South parliamentary  constituency 4,650 980 21.1 1,190 25.6 
			   
			 Unitary authorities  
			 Bath and North East Somerset 12,430 600 4.8 730 5.8 
			 Blackburn with Darwen 9,610 1,840 19.1 2,440 25.4 
			 Blackpool 8,740 1,380 15.7 1,800 20.6 
			 Bournemouth 10,000 720 7.2 1,050 10.5 
			 Bracknell Forest 6,110 250 4.1 330 5.5 
			 Brighton and Hove 12,440 1,510 12.1 2,150 17.3 
			 Bristol, City of 16,660 2,290 13.8 3,170 19.0 
			 Darlington 6,350 670 10.5 1,020 16.1 
			 Derby 15,540 2,010 12.9 2,820 18.1 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 23,490 1,260 5.4 1,860 7.9 
			 Halton 8,320 1,430 17.1 1,980 23.8 
			 Hartlepool 6,660 1,050 15.8 1,360 20.4 
			 Herefordshire 10,490 530 5.1 750 7.2 
			 Isle of Wight 12,160 1,410 11.6 2,000 16.4 
			 Isles of Scilly (81) (81) (81) (81) (81) 
			 Kingston Upon Hull, City of 16,220 2,620 16.2 3,840 23.7 
			 Leicester 18,260 3,290 18.0 4,200 23.0 
			 Luton 12,430 2,220 17.9 2,960 23.8 
			 Medway 20,760 1,510 7.3 1,970 9.5 
			 Middlesbrough 5,810 1,180 20.3 1,910 32.9 
			 Milton Keynes 12,870 1,060 8.2 1,360 10.6 
			 North East Lincolnshire 11,730 1,460 12.4 2,130 18.2 
			 North Lincolnshire 10,920 1,080 9.9 1,370 12.5 
			 North Somerset 12,930 780 6.0 1,060 8.2 
			 Nottingham 13,920 3,140 22.5 4,440 31.9 
			 Peterborough 12,760 1,540 12.0 2,050 16.1 
			 Plymouth 19,080 1,710 9.0 2,310 12.1 
			 Poole 8,570 390 4.5 480 5.6 
			 Portsmouth 10,160 1,080 10.7 1,540 15.1 
			 Reading 6,200 570 9.2 850 13.7 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 10,340 1,500 14.5 2,120 20.5 
			 Rutland 2,360 60 2.5 80 3.3 
			 Slough 8,450 890 10.5 1,310 15.5 
			 South Gloucestershire 16,950 740 4.4 1,060 6.3 
			 Southampton 12,250 1,560 12.7 2,090 17.1 
			 Southend-on-Sea 12,210 970 7.9 1,430 11.7 
			 Stockton-on-Tees 12,910 1,410 10.9 2,360 18.3 
			 Stoke-on-Trent 15,220 2,490 16.3 3,180 20.9 
			 Swindon 11,580 800 6.9 1,120 9.7 
			 Telford and Wrekin 10,650 1,420 13.3 1,890 17.7 
			 Thurrock 8,570 840 9.8 1,220 14.3 
			 Torbay 9,210 950 10.3 1,270 13.8 
			 Warrington 14,150 880 6.2 1,240 8.8 
			 West Berkshire 12,180 420 3.4 570 4.6 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead 10,490 420 4.0 550 5.3 
			 Wokingham 11,030 450 4.1 540 4.9 
			 York 10,490 570 5.4 820 7.9 
		
	
	(78) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(79) Includes dually registered pupils and boarding pupils.
	(80) Figures have been rounded to the nearest 10.
	(81) Not applicable. No schools of this type.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	Pupils are recorded as being eligible for free school meals if a claim has been made by them or on their behalf by parents and either the relevant authority has confirmed their eligibility or the school or LEA have seen the necessary documentation. Eligibility requires the parent (or pupil) to be in receipt of either income support, or income-based jobseekers allowance, or support under the Immigration and Asylum Act 1999, or child tax credit but not working tax credit and have an annual income (as assessed by the Inland Revenue) that which for when the above information was collected in the tax year 2003/04, would have been 13,280.

Free School Meals

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children living in the London borough of Wandsworth were entitled to free school meals during the last 12 months.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the following table.
	
		Number and percentage of pupils resident in Wandsworth LEA eligible for free school mealsJanuary 2004
		
			  Total number of resident pupils Number of pupils eligible for free school meals Percentage of pupils eligible for free school meals 
		
		
			 Total 26,069 7,437 28.5 
			 Primary(82) 16,065 4,782 18.3 
			 Secondary1, 2 9,529 2,445 9.4 
			 Special(84) 475 213 0.8 
		
	
	(82) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(83) Includes City Technology Colleges.
	(84) Includes maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	Source:
	Annual Schools Census.

Freedom of Information Act

Geoffrey Clifton-Brown: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the likely costs to his Department in the first quarter of 2005 of compliance with the provisions of the Freedom of Information Act 2000; and if he will make a statement.

Charles Clarke: Based on the anticipated additional volume of requests for information, it is estimated that the cost of compliance with the Freedom of Information Act during the period January to March 2005 will cost around 606,000, an average of 152 per request.

Further Education

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the level of funding per pupil in further education was in (a) Leicester South, (b) the Unitary Authority of Leicester City and (c) England in each year since 1997.

Kim Howells: The Department allocates funds for education and training in the post-16 learning and skills sector to the Learning and Skills Council (LSC). The LSC decides on allocations at individual college and local LSC level. Information about these allocations is not collected by the Department. This is a matter for the LSC. Mark Haysom the Learning and Skills Council's Chief Executive will write to the hon. Member with details of further education spend per pupil in (a) Leicester South, (b) the Unitary Authority of Leicester City. A copy of his letter will be placed in the House Library.
	The following table shows funding per full-time equivalent student in further education in England from 199798 to 200405. These are cash figures that show total funding for the further education (FE) sector. The figures include monies provided for participation and certain funding for earmarked purposes, including capital, the Standards Fund and other special grants to colleges. These figures are consistent with those published in the 'Departmental Annual Report 2004'.
	
		Funding per full-time equivalent student in further education 199798 to 200405
		
			  Total funding () 
		
		
			 199798(85) 3,070 
			 199899(85) 3,090 
			 19992000(85) 3,380 
			 200001(85) 3,640 
			 200102(85) 4,050 
			 200203(86) 4,120 
			 200304(87) 4,240 
			 200405(87) 4,460 
		
	
	(85) Actual.
	(86) Provisional.
	(87) Planned.

GCSE Results

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) males and (b) females achieved five A*-C grades at GCSE in 2004; and how many (i) males and (ii) females achieved 5 A*-C grades at GCSE in the (A) 10 per cent. most deprived wards and (B) 10 per cent. least deprived wards in 2004.

David Miliband: The information provided is the latest available and is shown in the following tables. The information has been provided on two basesone showing the information based on the location of schools, the other based on the residency of the pupil.
	
		(i) Numbers of males and females achieving 5 or more A*C Grades at GCSE and equivalents: 2004 (provisional)
		
			  All pupils Males Females 
			  Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Based on school location:  
			 All 53.4 158,753 48.4 185,068 58.8 
			 10 per cent. most deprived areas(88) 37.9 8,887 32.9 11,368 43.0 
			 10 per cent. least deprived areas(88) 63.1 26,296 57.6 26,456 68.8 
		
	
	
		(ii) Numbers of males and females achieving 5 or more A*C Grades at GCSE and equivalents: 2003 (final)
		
			  All pupils Males Females 
			  Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 Based on pupil residency:  
			 All 52.9 152,026 48.0 177,278 58.1 
			 10 per cent. most deprived areas(88) 28.9 8,400 24.2 11,676 33.7 
			 10 per cent. least deprived areas(88) 73.3 19,341 68.2 21,340 78.5 
		
	
	(88) The measure of deprivation used is the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Super Output Areas (SOAs), rather than the 2000 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Wards. The SOAs are a new geography designed by the Office for National Statistics for the collection and publication of small area statistics. They have been designed to provide an improved basis for comparison across the country because the units are more similar in population size.

Green Ministers

John Horam: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many departmental Green Ministers there have been since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: There have been four Green Minister appointments in the Department for Education and Skills and its predecessor, the Department for Education and Employment, since 1997.

Higher Education

David Chaytor: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many entrants to higher education there were from (a) sixth form colleges and (b) further education colleges in each of the last 10 years.

Kim Howells: The latest available information is shown in the table.
	
		UK domiciled acceptancesl to UK HE institutionsFull-time and sandwich undergraduate courses
		
			  Acceptances who came from: 
			  Sixth Form Colleges FE/HE colleges Other(90) Total 3 
			 Year of entry Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 1994 22,400 10.4 65,200 30.4 127,000 59.2 214,700 100.0 
			 1995 23,800 10.6 72,500 32.2 128,600 57.2 224,900 100.0 
			 1996 25,200 11.0 68,900 30.2 134,100 58.8 228,200 100.0 
			 1997 30,000 11.9 81,800 32.4 140,600 55.7 252,400 100.0 
			 1998 29,400 11.9 80,200 32.4 138,000 55.7 247,600 100.0 
			 1999 29,700 11.9 78,400 31.5 140,700 56.5 248,900 100.0 
			 2000 30,300 12.0 78,800 31.3 143,000 56.7 252,000 100.0 
			 2001 31,800 12.2 80,500 30.9 148,500 56.9 260,800 100.0 
			 2002 32,100 12.2 78,000 29.6 153,700 58.3 263,800 100.0 
			 2003 33,500 12.5 78,200 29.2 156,300 58.3 268,000 100.0 
		
	
	(89) Figures cover only those students who provided details of their previous educational establishment. Over the last 10 years the proportion of acceptances who did not provide this data varied between 15 per cent. and 20 per cent.. In 1998, the categorisation of individual schools/colleges was updated to take account of changes in school/college status; as a result, the figures for 1998 and later years are not directly comparable with those for earlier years. Numbers have been rounded to the nearest hundred.
	(90) Covers maintained schools, independent schools and a small number of miscellaneous
	establishments.
	(91) Figures may not sum to totals because of rounding.
	Source:
	Universities and Colleges Admissions Service (UCAS).

Higher Education Funding Council

Brian White: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills when the Higher Education Funding Council will report on its proposals to secure the financial position of the Open University.

Kim Howells: The board of the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) has convened a panel to consider submissions from the Open University and Birkbeck College. The HEFCE panel has been asked to respond to the HEFCE board by the end of January 2005 at the latest.

Information Technology (Schools)

Dan Norris: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many and what proportion of (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in (i) Wansdyke and (ii) Bath and North East Somerset are equipped with (A) interactive whiteboards and (B) broadband technology.

Charles Clarke: The available information is as follows:
	For England, my Department estimates that 63 per cent. of primary schools and 92 per cent. of secondary schools were equipped with electronic interactive whiteboards in 2004. The latest figures were published in SFR 27/2004 Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2004, which is available on my Department's website: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	31 per cent. of primary schools and 91 per cent. of secondary schools were equipped with broadband technology in 2003; the latest figures were published in the Statistical Bulletin Survey of Information and Communications Technology in Schools 2003, which is available on my Department's website: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/
	Both sets of figures were derived from a sample of schools.
	The British Educational Communications and Technology Agency (BECTA) compile figures on broadband connectivity as reported by local education authorities. South Gloucestershire LEA reported that all of its maintained schools were equipped with broadband technology and Bath and North East Somerset LEA reported that 53 per cent. of its maintained schools were equipped with broadband technology.

Integrated Children's System

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how much money it will cost to implement the Integrated Children's System.

Margaret Hodge: The Integrated Children's System (ICS) is derived from the social services functions under the Children Act 1989 and the Children (Leaving Care) Act 2000. It provides a national framework for social services to undertake their functions in a systematic manner. It does not impose any additional duties or responsibilities on them. Funding has been provided to assist local authorities upgrade their IT systems to help them perform their functions effectively. We do not gather information on the detailed costs for individual local authorities of developing and running the ICS or existing systems which support their social services functions.
	The LASSL(2003)7 Children's Social Services Funding 200405 set out the main aspects of the 200405 local government finance settlement which is relevant to the funding provided for children's social services. It announced a capital grant of 10 million to support the development of information technology systems for children's social services. The 10 million is the first tranche of a total grant of 30 million payable in 2004/05 and 2005/06.
	LAC(2004)22 provided more detailed guidance. It required the grant to be spent on building the information technology systems required to support the implementation of the Integrated Children's System (ICS). This grant is therefore primarily concerned with enabling staff to record and manage electronically case record information about children being served in the context of the Children Act 1989. The Integrated Children's System (ICS) will be quite different from the information database(s). The ICS is a national framework for Councils with Social Services Responsibilities' (CSSRs') to help them work with children in need and their families. It provides a single approach for assessment, planning, intervention and reviewing based on an understanding of children's developmental needs in the context of their families and communities. It is signed to improve outcomes for children in need. The information gathered in the course of working with children and their families must be recorded by social services. These records have traditionally been paper-based but a growing number of councils have electronic record keeping systems in place. As part of implementing the integrated children's system, social service records will all be kept electronically, replacing paper-based systems. The ICS is simply a better way to maintain and meet existing record keeping requirements and, therefore, requires no legislative provision.
	The ICS will provide a more effective way of keeping and accessing records relating to social services work with children and families than exists at present. This will help improve standards of service to children and families.
	The grant, which was announced in LASSL(2003)7 Children's Social Services Funding 200405, is allocated in a way that reflects the size of local children's social services operation. The FSS formula is used for this purpose. This grant is in addition to the Capital Grant for Improving Information Management supporting Information for Social Care described in Local Authority Circular LAC(2003)17. 25 million was paid in 200304 to CSSRs for the purposes of the developmental, improvement or acquisition of systems for improving information management.
	In total, we have provided an extra 90 million this year to support councils in improving their services to safeguard children including responding to the recommendations made in Lord Laming's report and the Joint Chief Inspectors' Report, Safeguarding Children. No conditions have been attached to this money to enable councils the freedom to choose how to target the extra resources so that they can maximise the outcome for children's services in their area. It is open to local authorities to use some of these resources to improving their IT and recording system, as well as for training their staff.
	It is for local authorities to decide how best to provide support and services for all children in need in its area. There is no current specific earmarked funding for services; instead, Government funding is allocated to councils with social services responsibilities on the basis of the needs of their populations. A weighted capitation formula is used to determine each body's target fair share of available resources. It is, therefore, for councils, working in partnership with relevant local stakeholders, to determine their spending priorities on the basis of local needs.

Integrated Children's System

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what data the Integrated Children's System will hold; and who will have access to it.

Margaret Hodge: The IT system, to support the use of Integrated Children's System (ICS), will enable councils with social services responsibilities to hold information electronically about children in need who are in receipt of their services. It will contain information gathered in the course of working with children and their families, which has been recorded by social services. These records have traditionally been paper-based but a growing number of councils have electronic record keeping systems in place. As part of implementing the ICS, social service records will all be kept electronically, replacing paper-based systems.
	The legislation on access to personal information held by social services departments is the same for paper-based and electronically kept case records.
	The Access to Personal Files Act 1987 gave people the general right to see social work records which related to them produced after 1987. The Data Protection Act (DPA) 1998, which came into force on 1 March 2000, enhances these rights and abolishes the time limit. Any living person, who is the subject of personal information held and processed by a social services authority, has the right of access to those records. The right of access only extends to the person who is the subject of those records, or someone acting on their behalf.
	A person does not have the right to know what is recorded about someone else, even someone who is a member of the same family, without that person's consent. Requests from parents to see records relating to a child can be dealt with under these arrangements only where they are acting in the interests of a child who is unable to act for himself, rather than on their own behalf.
	The right of access extends to children and young people under 18 who understand what it means to exercise that right. If they do not have sufficient understanding to make the request, a person with parental responsibility can make the request on their behalf.
	Local authorities have a general duty in common law to safeguard the confidentiality of personal information, which they hold in connection with their social services functions.
	However, there are circumstances in which personal information can be disclosed. For example, an authority may disclose information to social services staff directly involved in a case, or to anyone who cares for one of their clients, such as a voluntary body or foster carers. An authority will also need to disclose personal information to various bodies with the power to order disclosure, when ordered to do so, such as the police, the courts and statutory inquiries.

Integrated Children's System

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans there are to pilot the Integrated Children's System.

Margaret Hodge: Following the publication of the consultation document, Integrated Children's System Working with Children in Need and Their Families, in December 2002, a programme of work was set up in partnership with local authorities with social services responsibilities to pilot its introduction and test the integrity of the Integrated Children's System (ICS). This will allow the components of the system to be amended and revised before full introduction.
	Pilot Studies
	There are two separate but inter-related pilot studies funded by the Government in England and Wales:
	The first study is to assess the development of a multi-agency and integrated approach to implementing the ICS for children in need and their families. It is a two-year study ending in March 2005. There are four pilot sites: York, London borough of Richmond-upon-Thames and Lancashire county council in England and Neath Port Talbot in Wales.
	A second study aims to investigate how the ICS operates within local authorities with social services responsibilities. It is a two-year study which commenced in April 2004. It has a particular focus on piloting the system with disabled children and black and minority ethnic children and their families. There are four pilot sites: West Sussex and Newcastle in England, and Flintshire and Wrexham in Wales.

Key Stage 1 Results

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) males and (b) females achieved level 2 or above at Key Stage 1 in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science in the (A) 10 per cent. most deprived wards and (B) 10 per cent. least deprived wards in 2004.

David Miliband: The information provided is the latest available and is shown in the tables. The information has been provided on two basesone showing the information based on the location of the school, the other based on the residency of the pupil.
	
		Number of males and females achieving level 2 or above at Key Stage 1: 2004 (provisional)Based on school location
		
			   Males Females 
			  All pupils All males 10% most deprived areas(92) 10% least deprived areas(92) All females 10% most deprived areas(92) 10% least deprived areas(92) 
			 Subject % % No. % No. % % No. % No. % 
		
		
			 English reading 85 81 23,750 70 26,265 89 89 25,952 81 26,528 94 
			 English writing 82 76 21,875 65 25,372 85 87 25,211 78 26,330 93 
			 Maths 90 89 27,674 82 27,882 94 92 27,499 86 26,959 95 
			 Science 90 88 26,657 79 27,955 94 91 26,800 83 27,019 96 
		
	
	
		Number of males and females achieving level 2 or above at Key Stage 1: 2003 (final)Based on pupil residency
		
			   Males Females 
			  All pupils All males 10% most deprived areas(92) 10% least deprived areas(92) All females 10% most deprived areas(92) 10% least deprived areas(92) 
			 Subject % % No. % No. % % No. % No. % 
		
		
			 English reading 84 80 26,051 68 25,239 90 88 29,056 79 24,967 95 
			 English writing 81 76 24,178 63 24,352 87 87 28,343 77 24,698 94 
			 Maths 90 89 31,147 81 26,632 95 91 31,106 85 25,271 96 
			 Science 89 88 29,989 78 26,618 95 91 30,175 82 25,329 97 
		
	
	(92) The measure of deprivation used is the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Super Output Area (SOAs), rather than the 2000 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Wards. The SOAs are a new geography designed by the Office for National Statistics for the collection and publication of small area statistics. They have been designed to provide an improved basis for comparison across the country because the units are more similar in population size.

Key Stage 2 Results

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) males and (b) females achieved level 4 or above at Key Stage 2 in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science in the (A) 10 per cent. most deprived wards and (B) 10 per cent. least deprived wards in 2004.

David Miliband: The information provided is the latest available and is shown in the following tables. The information has been provided on two basesone showing the information based on the location of the school, the other based on the residency of the pupil.
	
		Number of males and females achieving level 4 or above at Key Stage 2: 2004 (provisional)Based on school location
		
			   Males Females 
			  All pupils All males 10% most deprived areas(93) 10% least deprived areas(93) All females 10% most deprived areas(93) 10% least deprived areas(93) 
			 Subject % % No. % No. % % No. % No. % 
		
		
			 English 77 72 18,226 59 27,077 82 83 21,545 72 28,465 90 
			 Maths 74 74 19,402 62 27,418 83 74 18,684 63 26,050 83 
			 Science 86 86 23,547 76 30,315 92 86 22,789 76 29,054 92 
		
	
	
		Number of males and females achieving level 4 or above at Key Stage 2: 2003 (final)Based on pupil residency
		
			   Males Females 
			  All pupils All males 10% most deprived areas(93) 10% least deprived areas(93) All females 10% most deprived areas(93) 10% least deprived areas(93) 
			 Subject % % No. % No. % % No. % No. % 
		
		
			 English 75 70 21,112 54 25,404 84 81 24,891 67 25,981 91 
			 Maths 73 73 23,478 60 25,640 85 72 21,801 58 23,833 84 
			 Science 87 86 29,633 75 28,426 94 87 28,602 76 26,944 95 
		
	
	(93) The measure of deprivation used is the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Super Output Areas (SOAs), rather than the 2000 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Wards. The SOAs are a new geography designed by the Office for National Statistics for the collection and publication of small area statistics. They have been designed to provide an improved basis for comparison across the country because the units are more similar in population size.

Key Stage 3 Results

Michael Wills: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) males and (b) females achieved level 5 or above at Key Stage 3 in (i) English, (ii) mathematics and (iii) science in the (A) 10 per cent. most deprived wards and (B) 10 per cent. least deprived wards in 2004.

David Miliband: The latest available information are shown in the following tables. The information supplied has been provided on two basesone showing the information based on the location of schools, the other based on the residency of the pupil.
	
		Number of males achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3: 20042
		
			   Males 
			  All pupils All males 10 per cent. most deprived areas(94) 10 per cent. least deprived areas(94) 
			 Subject Percentage Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 (i) Based on school location:
			 English 71 64 13,517 48 24,902 76 
			 Maths 73 72 15,988 57 26,704 82 
			 Science 66 65 13,276 47 25,355 77 
		
	
	
		Number of females achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3: 2004(95)
		
			  Females 
			  All females 10 per cent. most deprived areas(94) 10 per cent. least deprived areas(94) 
			  Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 (i) Based on school location:  
			 English 77 17,501 65 27.512 86 
			 Maths 74 16,468 61 26,481 83 
			 Science 67 13,900 51 25,365 79 
		
	
	
		Number of males achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3: 2004 2
		
			   Males 
			  All pupils All males 10 per cent. most deprived areas(94) 10 per cent. least deprived areas(94) 
			 Subject Percentage Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 (ii) Based on pupil residency:
			 English 69 62 15,072 41 23,730 81 
			 Maths 71 70 17,989 50 25,236 86 
			 Science 69 68 16,575 45 25,380 87 
		
	
	
		Number of females achieving level 5 or above at Key Stage 3: 2004 2
		
			  Females 
			  All females 10 per cent. most deprived areas(94) 10 per cent. least deprived areas(94) 
			  Percentage Number Percentage Number Percentage 
		
		
			 (ii) Based on pupil residency:  
			 English 76 20,366 57 24,697 90 
			 Maths 72 18,484 52 23,922 88 
			 Science 69 16,311 45 23,689 87 
		
	
	(94) The measure of deprivation used is the 2004 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Super Output Areas (SOAs), rather than the 2000 Index of Multiple Deprivation based on Wards. The SOAs are a new geography designed by the Office for National Statistics for the collection and publication of small area statistics. They have been designed to provide an improved basis for comparison across the country because the units are more similar in population size.
	(95) Provisional

Labour Market Participation

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent assessment he has made of the participation of Muslim women in the labour market.

Jane Kennedy: I have been asked to reply.
	Labour Force Survey Spring 2004 1 data shows 34 per cent. of Muslim women are active in the labour market compared with 73 per cent. of all women. We have a strategy in place to help disadvantaged ethnic minority groups improve their access to employment, including those from Muslim communities, and this is being taken forward by the Ethnic Minority Employment Task Force.
	Muslim women have access to the full range of help offered by Jobcentre Plus both mainstream programmes and specific measures, such as Ethnic Minority Outreach, to help attract and support those facing significant barriers to work.
	We are undertaking research to improve our understanding of the problems faced by ethnic minorities in getting jobs. Current research projects include a survey of the barriers faced by inactive and unemployed Pakistani and Bangladeshi people, both men and women.
	1 Labour Force Survey four quarter average to spring 2004.

Learning and Skills Council

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  if he will require the Learning and Skills Council to make payments to higher education colleges to cover the costs of interest and bank charges arising from late payments of Learning and Skills Council funds;
	(2)  what assurance he has sought from the Learning and Skills Council that higher education college funding will be allocated on time for financial year 200506.

Ivan Lewis: The Learning and Skills Council (LSC) is responsible for the planning and funding of post-16 learning and it is for the LSC to agree funding arrangements with higher education colleges. As the information requested relates to the LSC's operational responsibilities, the LSC's chief executive, Mark Haysom, will write to the hon. Member with the information requested and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.
	We are in regular dialogue with the LSC as it progresses its planning and funding arrangements with colleges and providers. As planning and funding allocations are the operational responsibilities of the LSC, Mark Haysom, will write to the hon. Member with information on the timetable and a copy of his reply will be placed in the Library.

Literacy

Jon Trickett: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what recent discussions he has held with the Chancellor on improving financial literacy in areas of economic deprivation; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: There have been no recent discussions between the Chancellor and the Secretary of State on improving financial literacy in areas of economic deprivation.
	However DfES has been working with HM Treasury on the Community Finance and Learning Initiative (CFLI) and Savings Gateway pilots. The outcomes of the CFLI pilots will be published shortly. The Savings Gateway pilot will finish shortly, with the evaluation due in spring 2005.
	The Department is also funding a financial literacy project as part of Skills for Life, the national strategy to improve adult literacy and numeracy skills. This has included the development of a range of financial literacy teaching and learning resources and guides, as well as trialling innovative methods of delivery and developing local partnerships between tutors and the advice sector. The Department is working closely with the Financial Services Authority to ensure its work supports the National Financial Capability Strategy.
	In addition, personal finance education is covered in the national curriculum as part of personal, social and health education (PSHE) and citizenship education. The curriculum for citizenship (introduced as a statutory subject in secondary schools in 2002) provides the opportunity for teaching about the economy, business and enterprise. The Department published guidance for teachers, Financial Capability through Personal Financial Education, in 2000.

Local Government Finance

Bob Blizzard: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will ensure that the sparsity factor in local education authority grant funding for 200506 will take account of (a) the costs to schools of the workforce reform agenda, (b) the number of small schools in a local education authority, (c) broadband connection costs and (d) the cost of school transport.

David Miliband: The calculation of Education Formula Spending Share includes a factor for sparsity in both the primary sub-block, recognising the higher costs of maintaining small schools, and in the LEA block, recognising the higher costs of transport in sparse areas.
	We intend that the sparsity factor in the primary sub-block be enhanced in 200506 to reflect the slightly higher costs faced by small schools due to workforce reform (although the smallest School Standards Grant band has been increased in 200506 as the main way of dealing with the higher costs of workforce reform for small schools).
	The sparsity factor is already designed to take into account the fact that sparse areas have a greater proportion of small primary schools and that these small schools will face higher running costs, including broadband connection costs, and that sparse areas face higher transport costs.

Medicine

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many students have been admitted to university to read medicine on courses which lead to registration as doctors with (a) less than three Bs at A level and (b) less than three Cs at A level as a result of widening participation schemes in each of the last five years.

Kim Howells: Admission of students to medical, and other, courses is a matter for individual institutions. The main scheme for widening participation is Aimhigher which aims to raise the attainment levels of young people, their aspirations towards university, and improve progression. Most activities are not subject-specific, although some locally arranged activities are designed to raise awareness of and encourage progression to specific subjects such as medicine. Aimhigher does not include the delivery of degree or other higher education programmes. Information on the pre-entry qualifications of students entering first-degree courses in medicine is, however, provided in the following table.
	
		Students from England entering first degree courses in medicine
		
			   Of which, those with scores equivalent to: 
			 Year of entry All entrants with A levels Less than 3 Bs(96) Less than 3 Cs 
		
		
			 1998/99 2,920 75 30 
			 1999/00 2,835 135 40 
			 2000/01 3,155 160 30 
			 2001/02 3,420 235 60 
			 2002/03 3,950 205 90 
		
	
	(96) Including students with less than 3 Cs.
	Source:
	Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Figures have been rounded to the nearest 5.

Medicine

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many schools are taking part in widening participation schemes for entry to university to read medicine;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the cost of programmes for widening participation in the study of medicine at university;
	(3)  which universities (a) offer and (b) plan to offer extended medical degree programmes or their equivalent for students seeking to study medicine with a view to registration as a doctor under the Government's widening participation schemes;
	(4)  how many students have been admitted to universities this year to read medicine under widening participation schemes; and what estimate he has made of the number of students who will be admitted in each of the next five years.

Kim Howells: The Government's aim is that everyone with the potential to benefit from higher education should have an opportunity to do so. The main scheme for widening participation is Aimhigher, a programme jointly funded by the Department for Education and Skills, the Learning and Skills Council and the Higher Education Funding Council for England. Since August 2004, Aimhigher has been a national programme, operating most intensively in disadvantaged areas.
	Aimhigher aims to raise the attainment levels of young people, their aspirations towards university, and improve progression. Most activities are not subject specific, although some locally arranged activities are designed to raise awareness of and encourage progression to specific subjects such as medicine. The Department does not collect information on the exact nature of locally arranged activities, their cost, or the number of schools involved. Aimhigher does not include the delivery of degree or other higher education programmes.
	Foundation Years may contribute to the widening participation activities undertaken by universities. Foundation Years in medicine are designed to assist potential students to gain the knowledge and learning skills needed for degree study, including allowing students with good grades in non-science subjects to study the basic science needed to start a medical degree course. Information on the number of students who have entered a degree programme in medicine having completed a foundation year is not available.

Ministerial Visits (Wandsworth)

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Ministers from his Department have visited the London borough of Wandsworth in each of the last five years; and what the purpose was of each visit.

Stephen Twigg: From the information available, the following visits to the London borough of Wandsworth have been undertaken by Ministers in this Department and its predecessor, the Department for Education and Employment, in the last five years.
	
		
			  Number of visits by Ministers  Purpose 
		
		
			 1999 0  
			 2000 1 South Thames College/Wandsworth Adult Collegefor the opening ceremony of the Millennium Centre 
			
			 2001 0  
			
			 2002 4 Actors' Graduation Ceremony 
			   BP Modem Apprenticeship Event 
			   HE/FE Community Partnership Conference 
			   Visit to Sir James Barrie School 
			
			 2003 3 Visit to Chestnut Grove School 
			   Visit to Battersea Technology College, and Southfields Community School. 
			   Ravenstone Primary School, opening of school grounds 
			
			 2004 5 Visit to South Thames College 
			   Southfields Secondary School (Launch of Chartered London Teacher Scheme) 
			   Elliot School (Modern Foreign Languages related visit). 
			   Allfarthing Primary School (Modern Foreign Languages related visit) 
			   Visit to a family in Wandsworth during Share the Care week

Modern Apprenticeships

Tony McWalter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what progress has been made by the Modern Apprenticeships Task Force in encouraging businesses to participate in the Modern Apprenticeship scheme.

Ivan Lewis: The Apprenticeships Task Force chaired by Sir Roy Gardner, Chief Executive of Centrica plc, was asked to focus on increasing the number of employers taking on apprentices. A significant part of the Task Force's work has involved members championing Apprenticeships within their sector and the wider business community through identifying and promoting the business benefits their companies enjoy from employing apprentices. In addition members are leading by example by increasing the number of apprentices recruited by their companies. The Task Force has also played a key role in supporting the Learning and Skills Council in its ongoing marketing campaign aimed at employers, such as a recent series of articles in the business section of The Mail on Sunday. More information about the work of the Task Force is available on their website www.employersforapprentices.gov.uk and in its Interim Report, which is due to be published shortly.

Modern Apprenticeships

Tony McWalter: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how many young people aged 16 to 25 years have successfully completed a modern apprenticeship in Hertfordshire within the last five years; and what the figures are in Lancashire;
	(2)  what proportion of places on the Modern Apprenticeship scheme are in electrical engineering.

Ivan Lewis: This is a matter for the Learning and Skills Council. Mark Haysom, the Council's Chief Executive, will write to the hon. Member with this information and a copy of his reply will be placed in the House Library.

Modern Apprenticeships

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many Modern Apprenticeships have been (a) started and (b) finished since their inception, broken down by trade.

Ivan Lewis: holding answer 16 November 2004
	The total numbers of government supported Apprenticeships to have been (a) started and (b) finished, up until the end of July 2003 are shown in the table.
	
		Thousand
		
			  Starts(97) Leavers(98) 
		
		
			 Advanced Apprenticeship 477.6 446.6 
			 Apprenticeships (at level 2) 469.3 347.2 
		
	
	(97) Excludes transfers between programmes.
	(98) Includes those who completed the Apprenticeship framework, those who achieved the NVQ component, but did not complete the framework and those who left early without achieving the NVQ.
	Sources:
	DfES Statistical First Release (SFR) Government-Supported, Work-based Learning for Young People in England: 2001/02 Reference: SFR27/2002
	LSC SFR Further Education and Work Based Learning for Young PeopleLearner Numbers in England: 2002/03 Reference: ILR/SFR02
	LSC SFR Further Education and Work Based Learning for Young PeopleLearner Outcomes in England: 2002/03 Reference: ILR/SFR04
	Training and Enterprise Council (TEC) management information
	Because of learners transferring between programmes, it is not possible to estimate the number in learning from the starts and leavers figures given in the table.
	It is not possible to break these figures down by trade. However, the more recent data are broken down by sector framework and published on the Learning and Skills Council (LSC) Apprenticeship Frameworks website: http://maframeworks.lsc.qov.uk/.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what estimate he has made of the number of skilled technicians entering the motor servicing industry in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect overall data on the number of skilled technicians entering the motor servicing industry. However a major route for entry is via a Motor Industry apprenticeship. In 2002/03 there were 3,471 people who completed a Motor Industry apprenticeship and gained a full framework or NVQ achievement (source http://maframeworks.lsc.gov.uk).
	Automotive Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the automotive industry, will be undertaking research into skills shortages and skills gaps affecting the sector in the future.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many fully qualified motor mechanics there have been in each of the last 30 years.

Ivan Lewis: The Department does not collect data on the number of fully qualified motor mechanics.
	Automotive Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the automotive industry, will be undertaking research into skills shortages and skills gaps affecting the sector in the
	future.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what provision is in place to train motor mechanics in new computerised automated motor vehicle technologies.

Ivan Lewis: The LSC has, in the last three years, recognised 10 Centres of Vocational Excellence (CoVEs) in motor vehicle technology, resulting in a significant increase in the capacity to support the delivery of training in this specialist area. This investment will have a continuous effect through the key role of the CoVEs as disseminators of good practice and quality improvement across the whole college network.
	On-going developments in this area will be taken forward through the joint working between the LSC and Automotive Skills, the Sector Skills Council for the industry within the Sector Skills Agreement Process. Additionally, manufacturers and equipment suppliers also provide training in this area.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to introduce nationally-recognised qualifications for the UK motor vehicle industry.

Ivan Lewis: There are a range of National Vocational Qualifications and Vocationally Related Qualifications available for both motor vehicle manufacture and retail service. These qualifications are nationally accredited by the Qualifications Curriculum Authority for England, and Awdurdod Cymwysterau, Cwricwlwm ac Asesu Cymru (ACCAC) for Wales.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average amount of training delivered per technician given by the motor manufacturing industry was in England in 200304; and which motor vehicle manufacturers provided levels of training (a) above and (b) below the average.

Ivan Lewis: The statistics collected on training in the motor manufacturing sector do not separate technician training from training for other employees such as managers. However People Skills Scoreboard, which is a joint Engineering Employers Federation/Science, Engineering and Manufacturing Technologies publication provides information on general training in the sector. Participation in the Scoreboard, which is used for benchmarking purposes, is voluntary. For more information on People Skills Scoreboard see website www.peopleskillsscoreboard.com
	Of the larger companies (over 200 employees) taking part in the People Skills Scoreboard, the following firms provide five days per person or more off-the-job training for their employees:
	Nissan Motor Manufacturing (UK) Ltd
	TKA Talent
	Delphi Diesel Systems
	Glacier Vandervell Inc
	Ryobi Aluminium Casting (UK) Ltd
	A P Hydraulics Ltd
	Plaxton
	Siebe Automotive (UK) Ltd
	The companies with below average off-the-job training days per employee, tend to be small companies (there are no companies in the bottom 10 with more than 50 employees).

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what plans he has to publicise best practice in the motor vehicle maintenance trade in the UK;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the robustness of methods for assessing technical competence in the UK motor vehicle maintenance industry.

Ivan Lewis: The DFES has licensed and funded a new Sector Skills Council, Automotive Skills, who are working with the sector's professional bodies and trade associationsthe Retail Motor Industry Federation (RMIF), the Institute of the Motor Industry (IMI) and the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) amongst othersto explore the scope for a coherent response to raising skill levels across the industry.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will introduce ongoing effective technician competence assessment in the UK motor industry.

Ivan Lewis: The UK Motor Industry is considering this issue at present. The Institute of the Motor Industry are currently piloting off-the-job competence testing of technicians and keeping other key partners, including the DTI, the Automotive Skills SSC and the Consumer Association, informed of progress.

Motor Servicing/Vehicle Industry

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what financial assistance is available to the UK motor vehicle maintenance industry to improve standards of training and competence.

Ivan Lewis: Automotive Skills, the recently approved SSC for the automotive sector, will be responsible for establishing the requirements for the sector and developing the responses to these. Automotive Skills will be eligible for up to 5 million of assistance from the Sector Skills Development Agency over the next three years for carrying out its work.
	Employers are eligible for financial assistance towards training for a wide range of employer developed schemes/qualifications. These include National Vocational Qualifications Level 2 (through the Employer Training Pilots, currently operating in 20 of the 47 LSC areas) and Apprenticeship training.

Nursery Classes

Gordon Prentice: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) three and (b) four-year-olds in Pendle attended nursery classes in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Pendle parliamentary constituency and Lancashire local education authority area is shown in the tables. Information for private and voluntary providers is available for Lancashire but not for Pendle.
	
		Number of free nursery education places taken up 3 and 4-year-olds in Lancashire local education authority area, 1997 and 2003
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery and primary schools(99) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(100) Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery and primary schools(101) Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(102) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 4,400 0 4,400 n/a n/a (103)12,400 
			 2003 3,900 6,200 10,100 10,200 2,500 12,700 
		
	
	n/a = not available.
	(99) Headcount of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(100) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(101) Headcount of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(102) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census Supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(103) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	
		Number of free nursery education places1, 2 taken up 3 and 4-year-olds in maintained nursery and primary schools, Pendle parliamentary constituency area, 1997 and 2003
		
			  3-year-olds 4-year-olds 
			   Maintained primary schools   Maintained primary schools 
			 Position in January each year Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(106) Total 3-year-olds Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(106) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 370 170 0 540 160 60 800 1,020 
			 2003 370 150 0 520 140 50 740 940 
		
	
	(104) Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year.
	(105) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 places.
	(106) Includes reception classes and classes not designated as nursery classes.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census.
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004, Provision for Children Under Five Years of Age in EnglandJanuary 2004 (final), which is available on the Department's website: www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/

Nursery Classes

Shona McIsaac: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) 3-year-olds and (b) 4-year-olds attended nursery classes in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003.

Margaret Hodge: All 4-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All 3-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds in England is shown in the table.
	
		Number(107) of free nursery education places taken up by 3 and 4-year-olds, England, 1997 and 2003
		
			  Maintained nursery and primary schools2,3 
			   Primary schools  
			 Position in January each year Nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(110) Total Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers Total 
		
		
			 3-year-olds   
			 1997 30,800 182,500 900 214,200 0 214,200 
			 2003 27,900 188,300 2,500 218,700 (111)226,100 444,800 
			 4-year-olds   
			 1997 20,000 134,200 345,200 499,300 (112)76,900 (113)576,200 
			 2003 12,600 102,600 357,000 472,200 (114)109,600 581,800 
		
	
	(107) Rounded to the nearest 100 places.
	(108) Headcount of children aged 3 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools Census.
	(109) Headcount of children aged 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the ASC.
	(110) Includes reception classes and other classes not designated as nursery classes.
	(111) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 3 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the NEG data collection exercise.
	(112) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year derived from the Nursery Education Grant (NEG) data collection exercise and the ASC.
	(113) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the NEG data collection exercise.
	(114) Part-time equivalent number of children aged 4 at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census Supplementary data collection exercise and the ASC.
	The latest figures on early education places for 3 and 4-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 Provision for children under five years of age in England-January 2004 (final), which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Nursery Classes

Jon Cruddas: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many (a) three and (b) four-year-olds in Dagenham attended nursery classes in (i) 1997 and (ii) 2003.

Margaret Hodge: All four-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since September 1998. All three-year-olds in England have been entitled to a free part-time early education place since April 2004.
	The available information on the numbers of free part-time early education places taken up by three and four-year-olds in Dagenham Parliamentary Constituency and Barking and Dagenham local education authority area is shown in the tables. Information for private and voluntary providers is available for Barking and Dagenham local education authority area but not for Dagenham.
	
		Number of free nursery education places taken up 3 and 4-year-oldsBarking and Dagenham local education authority area, 1997 and 2003
		
			  3-year-olds 
			   Maintained primary schools(115) 
			 Position in January each year: Maintained nursery schools(115) Nursery classes Other classes Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(116) Total 3-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 (119) 1,330 0 0 1,330 
			 2003 (119) 1,310 0 360 1,660 
		
	
	
		
			  4-year-olds 
			   Maintained primary schools(117) 
			 Position in January each year: Maintained nursery schools(117) Nursery classes Other classes Other maintained and private, voluntary and independent providers(118) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 (119) n/a n/a n/a (120)2,400 
			 2003 (119) 740 1,580 70 2,390 
		
	
	n/anot available
	(115) Head-count of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(116) Part-time equivalent number of children aged three at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	(117) Head-count of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Annual Schools' Census.
	(118) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Early Years Census Supplementary data collection exercise and the Annual Schools' Census.
	(119) Not applicable (no schools of this type)
	(120) Part-time equivalent number of children aged four at 31 December in the previous calendar year from the Nursery Education Grant data collection exercise.
	
		Number of free nursery education places 12 taken up 3 and4-year-olds in maintained nursery and primary schoolsDagenham parliamentary constituency area, 1997 and 2003
		
			  3-year-olds 
			   Maintained primary schools 
			 Position in January each year: Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(123) Total 3-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 (124) 730 0 730 
			 2003 (124) 660 0 660 
		
	
	
		
			  4-year-olds 
			   Maintained primary schools 
			 Position in January each year: Maintained nursery schools Nursery classes Other classes(123) Total 4-year-olds 
		
		
			 1997 (124) 380 850 1,230 
			 2003 (124) 360 720 1,080 
		
	
	(121) Headcount of children aged three and four at 31 December in the previous calendar year
	(122) Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 places.
	(123) Includes reception classes and classes not designated as nursery classes
	(124) Not applicable (no schools of this type)
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census
	The latest figures on early education places for three and four-year-olds in England were published in Statistical First Release 39/2004 Provision for children under five years of age in EnglandJanuary 2004 (final), which is available on the Department's website www.dfes.gov.uk/rsgateway/.

Office of Fair Access

James Clappison: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to issue his final guidance to the director of the Office of Fair Access.

Kim Howells: The Secretary of State's letter of guidance to the Director of Fair Access, Sir Martin Harris, was placed in the House of Commons Library on 25 October.

Physical Education

David Amess: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the average amount of time allocated for physical activity in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools is; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: This information is not collected in the format requested. However, data on the amount of time 5 to 16-year-olds from school sport partnership schools spend on high quality physical education (PE) and school sport is collected through the annual PE, School Sport and Club Links survey. The results of the 200304 survey, in which 6,500 schools took part, were published on 29 April and copies were placed in the Libraries of both Houses.
	The 200304 survey found that, on average, primary schools within a school sport partnership devote 96 minutes curriculum time each week to PE, and that secondary schools, on average, devote 110 minutes per week.
	In addition, the survey found that, overall, 62 per cent. of pupils in schools within a school sport partnership were spending at least two hours in a typical week on high quality PE and school sport. 44 per cent. received this entirely within curriculum time.

Playing Fields

Liam Byrne: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether, under new guidance restricting the sale of school playing fields, 100 per cent. of the proceeds from such land sales must be spent in the local community; and what definition of local community he uses in such guidance.

Stephen Twigg: The new Guidance restricting the sale of school playing fields sets out the criteria against which applications for consent to dispose, or change the use, of school playing fields are assessed. The three main criteria are:
	schools' needs: that playing field provision and curriculum requirements at the school making the disposal, and at other schools in the local area, are met;
	Community use: that community use of a school's playing fields is taken into account, with alternative facilities made available if necessary; and
	finance: that any sale proceeds must be used to improve outdoor sports provision wherever possible, so that local authorities will have to provide first class outdoor facilities for schools before introducing new indoor sports or other educational buildings;
	There is no requirement to use proceeds from the sale of school land to provide local community facilities. We encourage all schools, wherever possible, to open up on site facilities to help them become the centre of the communities that they serve.

Pre-School Learning

Andrew Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what guidelines he issues to pre-school settings to ensure that pupils are ready to be taught in English in year R;
	(2)  what proportion of pupils in each local education authority are not able to be taught in English in year R.

Margaret Hodge: All providers in receipt of Government funding to deliver early education are under a statutory obligation to deliver the Foundation Stage Curriculumthe first stage of the National Curriculum. The Foundation Stage is a distinct phase of education, to meet the needs of children aged from three to the end of the reception year in primary schools. There will be children in Foundation Stage settings who will have a home language other than English. Practitioners plan to meet the needs of all children, including those from diverse linguistic backgrounds. The curriculum states that learning opportunities should be planned to help children develop their English by, for example, providing a range of opportunities for children to engage in speaking and listening activities in English with peers and adults.
	Information on the proportion of children not able to be taught in English in the reception year is not collected centrally.

Prison Education

Mark Oaten: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills who has responsibility for providing the (a) funding and (b) management of diplomas and higher education courses for prisoners.

Ivan Lewis: The information requested is as follows:
	(a) Policy responsibility for the learning of offenders in prisons rests with the Department for Education and Skills, working closely with Prison and Probation Services. My Department provides funding to the Prison Service in support of the range of learning needs.
	Since 2002, we have provided 728,000, working with the Prisoners' Education Trust to support undergraduate students on Open University courses and to support the introduction of new Openings courses, which provide access to HE courses for those without suitable prior qualifications. Other charitable bodies such as the Franklin Trust, also support some distance learning and higher education.
	(b) The management of particular programmes within prison is the responsibility of establishments themselves. Almost all prisons now have a Head of Learning and Skills to lead and manage the service. Provision is provided according to a needs analysis which takes into account factors such as the individual's needs, the priorities of the prison and labour market needs.

Pupil Exclusions

Tom Cox: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many young people have been excluded by each local education authority in Greater London in each of the last three years.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(125)and special schools(126): number of permanent exclusions, Academic years 2000/01, 2001/02 and 2002/03, each local education authority in London
		
			  2000/01 3 2001/02 2002/03 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(128) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(128) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(128) 
		
		
			 London 1,448 0.14 1,456 0.14 1,473 0.14 
			
			 Inner London 538 0.15 489 0.13 465 0.13 
			 Camden 34 0.15 28 0.12 33 0.15 
			 City of London 0 0.00 0 0.00 0 0.00 
			 Hackney 34 0.13 33 0.12 27 0.10 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 40 0.24 37 0.22 32 0.19 
			 Haringey 30 0.09 32 0.09 32 0.10 
			 Islington 19 0.08 12 0.05 18 0.08 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 17 0.16 13 0.12 16 0.15 
			 Lambeth 41 0.15 38 0.14 33 0.12 
			 Lewisham 83 0.24 66 0.19 44 0.13 
			 Newham 36 0.07 50 0.10 64 0.13 
			 Southwark 63 0.18 50 0.14 47 0.13 
			 Tower Hamlets 46 0.13 38 0.10 43 0.12 
			 Wandsworth 66 0.23 65 0.23 41 0.15 
			 Westminster 29 0.16 27 0.14 35 0.18 
			
			 Outer London 910 0.13 967 0.14 1,008 0.14 
			 Barking and Dagenham 19 0.06 24 0.08 30 0.10 
			 Barnet 55 0.11 54 0.11 50 0.11 
			 Bexley 79 0.20 60 0.15 71 0.18 
			 Brent 49 0.13 38 0.10 54 0.14 
			 Bromley 61 0.13 85 0.18 80 0.17 
			 Croydon 118 0.24 145 0.29 124 0.25 
			 Ealing 33 0.08 64 0.15 56 0.13 
			 Enfield 72 0.15 72 0.15 56 0.12 
			 Greenwich 39 0.11 51 0.14 46 0.13 
			 Harrow 68 0.23 68 0.24 68 0.24 
			 Havering 32 0.09 45 0.12 35 0.09 
			 Hillingdon 65 0.16 43 0.10 50 0.12 
			 Hounslow 48 0.13 59 0.16 77 0.21 
			 Kingston upon Thames 8 0.04 3 0.01 5 0.02 
			 Merton 32 0.14 23 0.10 39 0.17 
			 Redbridge 28 0.06 32 0.07 65 0.15 
			 Richmond upon Thames 31 0.15 31 0.16 49 0.25 
			 Sutton 24 0.08 35 0.12 14 0.04 
			 Waltham Forest 49 0.14 35 0.10 39 0.11 
		
	
	(125) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(126) Includes Maintained and Non-Maintained Special Schools.
	(127) Permanent exclusions for 2000/01 are estimated as a number of local education authorities did not confirm the data for their schools.
	(128) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) pupils in Primary, Secondary and Special schools, excluding dually registered pupils in special schools.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census.

Pupil Exclusions

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many pupils have been expelled from (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in Leicester in each year since 1997.

Stephen Twigg: The information requested is shown in the table.
	
		Maintained primary and secondary schools(129): number of permanent exclusions, academic years 1997/1998 to 2002/2003, Leicester local education authority
		
			  Primary Secondary 
			  Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(130) Number of permanent exclusions Percentage of the school population(130) 
		
		
			 1997/98 18 0.06 80 0.44 
			 1998/99 15 0.05 52 0.29 
			 1999/2000 22 0.07 77 0.43 
			 2000/01 30 0.10 80 0.44 
			 2001/02 20 0.07 87 0.48 
			 2002/03 19 0.07 59 0.32 
		
	
	(129) Includes middle schools as deemed.
	(130) The number of permanent exclusions expressed as a percentage of the number (headcount) of pupils in primary and secondary schools, excluding dually registered pupils.
	Source:
	Annual Schools' Census

Pupil Referral Units

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the level of attainment at Key Stage 4 of pupils in Pupil Referral units.

David Miliband: Through the pupil level annual school census (taken in January of each year) it is possible to identify which pupils are recorded on the roll of a school. Pupils in Pupil Referral Units can also be recorded on the roll of a mainstream school. In these cases the pupil is counted at the mainstream school, leaving only those pupils solely registered at a PRU contributing towards results for PRUs. The majority of pupils should only be in Pupil Referral Units (PRUs) for a short time, as the focus should be primarily on getting them back in to a mainstream school as soon as possible.
	Levels of attainment by pupils solely registered in PRUs are variable. Provisional figures for 2004 indicate that 0.4 per cent. of 15-year-old pupils in Pupil Referral Units in England achieved 5 or more grades A*-C at GCSE and Equivalent, 4.7 per cent. achieved 5 or more grades A*-G and 48.6 per cent. achieved at least one pass in an approved qualification.
	The attainment by pupils, who are solely-registered at a PRU at the time of the Pupil Level Annual School Census, over the last 3 years is shown within the table:
	
		
			  Number of 15-year-old pupils Proportion of 15-year-old pupils in PRUs achieving: Proportion of 15-year-old pupils Nationally achieving: 
			  in PRUs 5+ A*-C 5+ A*-G Any passes 5+ A*-C 5+ A*-G Any passes 
		
		
			 2004(131) 4,727 0.4 4.7 48.6 53.4 88.6 4.2 
			 2003 3,999 0.4 4.4 36.5 52.9 88.8 5.2 
			 2002 2,960 1.5 8.6 63.0 51.6 88.9 5.4 
		
	
	(131) Provisional.
	The 2004 figures quoted within the table relate to results in GCSEs and a wide range of other qualifications approved for use pre-16 which are being reported for the first time this year. Figures shown for 2002 and 2003 are based on results on GCSEs and GNVQs only.

Pupil Referral Units

Mark Hoban: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills for what reasons data on pupil attendance are not published for pupil referral units.

Stephen Twigg: While providers of alternative provision have a common law duty of care to ensure the health, safety and welfare of a pupil, there is no legislation requiring them to keep attendance records. As a result, the Department can neither collect nor publish data on pupil attendance at pupil referral units or other alternative provision.

School Finance

Nigel Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what the cost per pupil of education in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools was in the latest year for which figures are available.

David Miliband: The information requested is contained within the following table.
	
		Unit cost per pupil in primary and secondary schools in England
		
			  200203 () 
		
		
			 School based expenditure1,2 per pupil  
			 Primary education 2,530 
			 Secondary education 3,230 
			   
			 Combined LEA and school expenditure3,4,5 per pupil 
			 Total expenditure 3,440 
		
	
	(132) School based expenditure includes only expenditure incurred directly by the schools. This includes the pay of teachers and school-based support staff, school premises costs, books and equipment, and certain other supplies and services, less any capital items funded from recurrent spending and income from sales, fees and charges and rents and rates. This excludes the central cost of support services such as home to school transport, local authority administration and the financing of capital expenditure.
	(133) Pupil numbers include only those pupils attending maintained establishments within each sector and are drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
	(134) The combined LEA and school based expenditure includes all expenditure on the education of children in LEA maintained establishments and pupils educated by the LEA other than in maintained establishments. This includes both school based expenditure and all elements of central LEA expenditure except youth and community and capital expenditure from revenue (CERA).
	(135) In 200203 the combined LEA and school based expenditure is calculated by Section 52 Outturn Table A line 51 net current expenditure (NCE) plus line 60 NCE (with adjustments to income to take account of School Standards Grant and Standards Fund scored here) plus lines 61 to 74 NCE.
	(136) Pupil figures include all pre-primary pupils, including those under 5s funded by the LEA and being educated in private settings, pupils educated in maintained mainstream schools and other LEA maintained pupils. The pupil data for pupils attending maintained nursery, primary, secondary and special schools are taken from the DfES Annual Schools Census. Private voluntary and independent (PVI) under 5 pupil numbers are taken from the Early Years census but are only included for 19992000 onwards. Other LEA maintained pupils are also included in the pupil count and this includes all pupils attending schools not maintained by the authority for whom the authority is paying full tuition fees, or educated otherwise than in schools and pupil referral units under arrangements made by the authority drawn from the Form 8b submitted to the DfES. Also included as other LEA maintained pupils are all pupils attending pupil referral units who are not registered at a maintained mainstream school drawn from the DfES Annual Schools Census. All pupil numbers are adjusted to be on a financial year basis.
	Note:
	Figures are rounded to the nearest 10 as reported by the LEA (as at 10 November 2004).

School Meals

Simon Hughes: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what support his Department gave to National School Meals week; and if he will make a statement.

Stephen Twigg: We were not asked to support National School Meals Week this year. However, in past years we have provided messages of support, and in 2001, Jacqui Smith attended the official launch.

Schools (Newcastle)

Jim Cousins: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether Building Schools for the Future investment in Newcastle-upon-Tyne depends upon the acceptance of a city academy proposal.

David Miliband: It is an absolute requirement for Building Schools for the Future (BSF) proposals that local education authorities (LEAs) come forward with hard-edged proposals for how the significant investment we are making through BSF will raise standards in all secondary schools in the area. In doing that, we require all LEAs to give serious consideration to whether the establishment of an Academy would benefit one or more schools.

Schools Admission Policies

Graham Brady: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills whether it remains his policy that secondary schools should be given no notification of the ranking awarded to the school by parents applying for a school place, as set out by the Minister for School Standards in the 8th Standing Committee on Delegated Legislation on 12 March 2003, column 15.

David Miliband: Under co-ordinated admissions, individual admission authoritiesLEAs and governing bodiesretain the right and duty to set and apply their own admission arrangements for their schools. Some admission authorities give priority in their school's oversubscription criteria to applicants who name the school as their first preference and for these schools this ranking is made available.

Schools Admission Policies

Phil Willis: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what plans he has to require (a) specialist schools, (b) voluntary aided schools, (c) city technology colleges, (d) academies and (e) foundation schools to accept (i) looked after children, (ii) permanently excluded children and (iii) children with statements of special educational needs as part of their overall admission policies; and if he will make a statement.

David Miliband: All maintained schools and academies must have regard to the School Admissions Code of Practice. The code encourages all admission authorities to give top priority in admission arrangements to looked after children. LEAs and others may object to the independent Schools Adjudicator if they do not. So far all such cases referred have been upheld.
	Permanently excluded children must be treated in the same way as all other applicants unless they have been twice excluded. In that case parental preference rights are reduced. In October 2004, we issued guidance on the exclusion of pupils from schools, including guidance on the admission and re-integration of excluded pupils.
	Children whose statements of SEN name a particular school must be admitted to that school.
	CTCs are not subject to the same provisions and codes. However, we want all CTCs to become academies and some are already doing so; one has already converted and a further five are expected to convert by September 2005 with others seriously considering conversion. We believe that this is the best route to ensuring CTCs come within the same admissions framework as academies and maintained schools.
	Admission forums, which include representatives of all parties interested in admissions, have a duty to promote arrangements for looked after children, children with special educational needs, and excluded children. They must also monitor arrangements for all children who arrive outside the normal admissions roundwith a view to developing protocols for the admission of such children. The Secretary of State is making a speech to new headteachers on 18 November, at which he will talk about managing behaviour, and also about the need to develop local protocols to ensure that all schools play an equal part in the admission of permanently excluded and other hard to place pupils. Following that, we shall issue guidance to forums on how to develop and reach agreement on such protocols.
	LEAs must invite CTCs to participate in the forum and the Admissions Code of Practice encourages them to do so.

Science Courses

Brian Iddon: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on the changes in the numbers of students taking up science courses at (a) university and (b) A level in the last 10 years; and what steps the Government are taking to increase the number of students studying science.

Kim Howells: The Government's Science and Innovation Investment Framework 20042014, published in July sets out very clearly the challenge we face in securing an increase in the number of students taking A levels and enrolling on undergraduate science courses. The Framework builds on and takes forward progress made in response to earlier reviews of this subject, most notably the review carried out by Sir Gareth Roberts in 2002 and published as SET for Success. Compared with 10 years ago, the proportion of A level and undergraduate students taking science courses has decreased (5.8 per cent. between 1994 and 2004 for A level entries in England; 6.7 per cent. between 1992 and 2002 for undergraduates enrolled in higher education institutions in Great Britain). The Framework sets out a raft of measures to ensure that every stage of the education system, from primary schools to universities, can play its part in producing the excellent supply of highly skilled scientists and engineers which we need for the economy.

Scientists in Higher Education

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what assessment he has made of the career paths open to scientists in higher education; and what plans he has to improve the career opportunities for scientists in higher education.

Kim Howells: The Roberts' Review, SET for Success (2002) investigated in detail the supply of people with science, technology, engineering and mathematics skills including researchers. The Government are implementing the recommendations of this review, which includes: funding transferable skills training for Research Council-supported PhD students and postdoctoral researchers; increasing the minimum PhD stipend to 12,000 by 200506; raising the average for postdoctoral salaries by 4,000 between 2002 and 2005; and the development of the academic fellowship scheme, which guarantees permanent employment on successful completion. The recently formed Research Careers Committee, chaired by Sir Gareth Roberts will monitor trends, share and promote good practice and review the Concordat for research staff, originally signed in 1996.

Select Committee Recommendations

Graham Allen: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many recommendations by parliamentary select committees have been adopted by his Department since June 2001.

Stephen Twigg: Select committee reports are given very careful consideration by the Department's Ministers. Since June 2001, several committees of both Houses have made recommendations on matters for which the Department for Education and Skills is responsible. Select committee reports and their responses are a matter of public record.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills if he will make a statement on future funding of Sure Start.

Margaret Hodge: Increasing support for young children and families is a key priority for the Government. Sure Start funding was increased in the 2004 Budget and Spending review. The budget will rise by nearly 20 per cent. a year in real terms between 2005 and 2008.
	Detailed plans will be published in a 10-year childcare strategy in December.

Sure Start

Tim Loughton: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what arrangements are proposed for ring-fencing funding of Sure Start programmes through local authorities.

Margaret Hodge: As proposed in the Every Child Matters Green Paper, the Government are seeking to provide increased autonomy for local planning and decision-making. We are planning to merge the various child care funding streams into one allocation to give flexibility to help local authorities implement our child care agenda. Next year, we want to work with the 21 authorities who are piloting Local Area Agreements to see how a 'money for outcomes' funding system might work best.

Sure Start

Denis Murphy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many children in the Wansbeck constituency registered with Sure Start in each of the last three years.

Margaret Hodge: There are two Sure Start local programmes whose catchment areas fall within the Wansbeck constituency. The following table shows the number of children registered with these Sure Start local programmes at the end of March in each of the last three years.
	
		
			  Number of children registered with Sure Start local programmes 
		
		
			 2002 655 
			 2003 894 
			 2004 1,712 
		
	
	There is one Mini Sure Start Local Programme in Wansbeck constituency, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, which has 197 children under the age of four in its catchment area. The Department does not collect information on the number of children registered at or seen by Mini Sure Starts.
	Northumberland local authority has opened 17 neighbourhood nurseries creating 579 new child care places. Of these, five projects delivering 179 new child care places are within the Wansbeck constituency. Neighbourhood nursery monitoring data is collected by local authority. Figures for September 2004 indicate that 819 children are currently registered with neighbourhood nurseries in Northumberland.

Teacher Numbers

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  how the number of (a) teachers and (b) teaching assistants has changed in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997;
	(2)  how many extra (a) nursery teachers, (b) nursery nurses and (c) nursery assistants have been employed in Newcastle-under-Lyme since 1997.

David Miliband: The available information is provided in the table. Information is not collected on nursery nurses.
	
		All schools: Full-time equivalent number of staffNewcastle-under-Lyme parliamentary constituency
		
			  Maintained nursery schools(137) All other maintained schools(138) 
		
		
			 January 1997   
			 Teachers 3 617 
			 Teaching Assistants(139) 8 120 
			
			 January 2004   
			 Teachers 2 632 
			 Teaching Assistants(139) 4 186 
		
	
	(137) The number of nursery schools has reduced from three to two in the period shown.
	(138) Includes maintained primary and secondary schools, pupil referral units and both maintained and non-maintained special schools.
	(139) Includes nursery assistants, special needs support staff, minority ethnic support staff.
	Source:
	Annual School Census. The census includes teachers normally employed within schools in the survey week. Teachers absent for long periods are excluded, their replacements (provided they are qualified teachers) are included.

Teachers (Early Retirement)

Parmjit Gill: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills how many teaching staff have taken early retirement in (a) primary and (b) secondary schools in each unitary authority in each year since 1997; and what the average figures for a local education authority in England were in each year.

David Miliband: The following tables give the number of full-time and part-time regular teachers in maintained nursery and primary and secondary schools in each unitary local education authority awarded premature retirement benefits under the Teachers' Pensions Scheme in each year from 1997/98 to 2003/04 and the average number of these retirements for all local education authorities in England.
	
		Nursery and primary schools
		
			  1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 
		
		
			 Bath and NE Somerset 30 (140) 10 10 (140) 10 10 
			 Blackburn and Darwen (141) 0 (140) 10 (140) (140) 10 
			 Blackpool (141) 0 0 10 (140) 10 10 
			 Bournemouth (141) (141) (140) 0 (140) (140) 10 
			 Bracknell Forest (141) 0 (140) (141) (140) 0 (140) 
			 Brighton and Hove (141) 10 10 (140) (140) 10 0 
			 City of Bristol 60 30 20 20 10 10 20 
			 Darlington (141) 0 0 (140) (140) 10 10 
			 Derby (141) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 40 0 0 0 10 (140) 10 
			 Halton (141) 0 (140) (140) 10 10 10 
			 Hartlepool 20 (140) (140) (140) (140) (140) 10 
			 Herefordshire (141) 0 0 10 10 10 10 
			 Isle of Wight 10 (141) (140) (140) (140) (140) 10 
			 Isles of Scilly (140) 0 (140) 0 0 0 0 
			 City of Kingston-Upon-Hull 40 10 (140) 10 10 10 20 
			 Leicester (141) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Luton (141) 10 10 10 (141) 10 (140) 
			 Medway (141) 0 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Middlesbrough 20 10 (140) (140) 10 10 (140) 
			 Milton Keynes (141) 10 10 10 10 (140) 10 
			 North East Lincolnshire 50 (140) (140) 10 10 10 10 
			 North Lincolnshire 20 0 (140) 10 10 10 10 
			 North Somerset 20 (140) (141) (141) (141) 20 10 
			 City of Nottingham (141) 0 10 10 10 20 20 
			 City of Peterborough (141) 0 (140) 10 (140) (140) 10 
			 Plymouth (141) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Poole (141) (141) (140) 0 (140) (140) (140) 
			 Portsmouth (141) (140) (140) 10 10 10 10 
			 Reading (141) 0 10 10 (140) (140) 0 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 20 (141) 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Rutland (141) (140) 0 (140) (140) 10 (141) 
			 Slough (141) 0 (140) (140) (141) (140) (140) 
			 South Gloucestershire 30 10 10 (140) 20 10 10 
			 Southampton (140) 20 10 20 10 10 10 
			 Southend-on-Sea (141) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stockton on Tees 20 (140) (141) (140) 10 10 10 
			 Stoke-on-Trent (141) (141) 10 20 10 10 20 
			 Swindon (141) (141) (141) 10 10 (141) (140) 
			 Telford and Wrekin (141) 0 (140) 10 10 (140) 10 
			 Thurrock (141) 0 0 10 (141) 10 10 
			 Torbay (141) 0 (141) (140) (140) (140) (141) 
			 Warrington (141) 0 10 10 10 10 10 
			 West Berkshire (141) 0 (141) 10 (141) (141) (141) 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead (141) 0 0 0 (140) (140) (140) 
			 Wokingham (141) 0 0 (140) (141) 10 10 
			 York 10 (140) 0 (140) (140) 10 20 
			 Average for all LEAs 40 10 10 10 10 10 10 
		
	
	(140) Figures of less than 5 except those that are 0. Other figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	(141) Not applicable, LEA created 1 April 1998.
	Source:
	Database or Teachers' Records and Pensioner Statistical System
	
		Secondary schools
		
			  1997/98 1998/99 1999/2000 2000/01 2001/02 2002/03 2003/04 
		
		
			 Bath and NE Somerset 40 (142) (142) (142) (142) 10 20 
			 Blackburn and Darwen (143) 0 (142) (142) (142) (142) (142) 
			 Blackpool (143) 0 0 (142) (142) (142) (142) 
			 Bournemouth (143) 10 10 (142) (142) 10 10 
			 Bracknell Forest (143) 0 0 (142) 10 0 (142) 
			 Brighton and Hove (143) (142) 10 (142) 10 (142) 10 
			 City of Bristol 70 20 50 30 10 40 20 
			 Darlington (143) 0 0 0 (142) (142) 10 
			 Derby (143) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 East Riding of Yorkshire 60 (142) 0 (142) 10 10 20 
			 Halton (143) 0 (142) (142) (142) 10 (142) 
			 Hartlepool 10 (142) (142) (142) 10 10 (142) 
			 Herefordshire (143) 0 0 (142) 10 10 10 
			 Isle of Wight 30 (142) (142) 10 10 10 10 
			 Isles of Scilly (142) 0 0 (142) 0 0 0 
			 City of Kingston-Upon-Hull 40 (142) 10 (142) 30 10 10 
			 Leicester (143) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Luton (143) (143) 10 (142) (142) (142) 10 
			 Medway (143) 0 (142) (142) 10 10 20 
			 Middlesbrough 20 10 10 10 10 10 10 
			 Milton Keynes (143) 10 (142) 10 10 (142) 10 
			 North East Lincolnshire 40 (142) (142) (142) (142) 10 10 
			 North Lincolnshire 30 10 10 10 (142) 10 10 
			 North Somerset 40 10 (142) (142) (142) 10 10 
			 City of Nottingham (143) 0 10 10 20 10 10 
			 City of Peterborough (143) 0 (142) 10 10 (142) 10 
			 Plymouth (143) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Poole (143) 10 (142) (142) 10 0 10 
			 Portsmouth (143) (143) (143) (142) 10 (142) (142) 
			 Reading (143) 0 10 (142) (142) (142) (142) 
			 Redcar and Cleveland 20 10 10 10 10 (142) 10 
			 Rutland (143) (143) (142) 0 (142) 10 (142) 
			 Slough (143) 0 10 (142) (142) (142) (142) 
			 South Gloucestershire 30 10 (142) (142) (142) 10 20 
			 Southampton (142) 10 (142) 10 (142) 10 10 
			 Southend-on-Sea (143) 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Stockton on Tees 10 10 (143) 10 (142) 10 20 
			 Stoke-on-Trent (143) (143) (142) 10 10 10 10 
			 Swindon (143) 10 (142) 20 10 10 10 
			 Telford and Wrekin (143) 0 (142) (142) (142) 10 10 
			 Thurrock (143) 0 (142) (142) (142) 10 10 
			 Torbay (143) 0 (142) (142) 10 10 10 
			 Warrington (143) 0 10 (142) 10 10 (142) 
			 West Berkshire (143) 0 10 (142) (142) (142) 10 
			 Windsor and Maidenhead (143) 0 0 (142) (142) (142) (142) 
			 Wokingham (143) 0 0 (142) (142) 10 10 
			 York 20 0 (142) 10 10 (142) 10 
			 Average for all LEAs 40 10 10 10 10 10 20 
		
	
	(142) Figures of less than 5 except those that are 0. Other figures are rounded to the nearest 10.
	(143) Not applicable, LEA created 1 April 1998.
	Source:
	Database or Teachers' Records and Pensioner Statistical System
	Individual local education authority figures include those teachers who were employed in the authority in March of the preceding financial year who retired prematurely on the grounds of efficiency, redundancy or with actuarially reduced pension benefits. Teachers who retired on ill health grounds are excluded.
	Changes in the Teachers' Pensions Scheme regulations that became effective from 1 September 1997 led to many more early retirements than normal in the 199798 financial year.
	The average number of retirements is based on a total of 132 local education authorities in existence in 199798 and 150 for 199899 onwards.

Teachers' Pay

Paul Farrelly: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills 
	(1)  what steps the Government are taking to reduce the disparity in pay between teachers in schools and further education colleges;
	(2)  what steps the Government are taking to increase the pay of teachers in further education.

David Miliband: Further education colleges are run by independent corporations established under the Further and Higher Education Act 1992. Individual further education colleges determine their own staff pay polices. There are no national pay structures in place. Pay levels will therefore vary from institution to institution. Teachers in maintained schools are subject to national school teachers' pay and conditions.
	On 16 September we announced that total funding for the post-16 learning and skills sector, excluding higher education, will rise to 11 billion by 200708. From this year, most colleges will have three year funding deals allowing them to plan on a longer term basis.

Universities

Bill Wiggin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education and Skills what research his Department has commissioned on the existing capacity of universities; and if he will make a statement.

Kim Howells: The Department has not commissioned any research on the capacity of universities nor is this information available on a systematic or comprehensive basis. Information on the number of students expected to register with each university in the current academic year, and the actual number of students in previous years is available from the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE).
	Information on funded expansion of students numbers in forthcoming academic year is also available from HEFCE. However, institutions also have the discretion to vary their total student population and mix of students without any change to HEFCE grant provided they remain within certain financial constraints.